"Well, they have offered to the man as stops to put his name down on
the books of all the three craft. That means, of course, that he will
get a share in the prize-money of all three ships if they get back.
That's a pretty good offer, you know. You see, a fellow on board may
get captured or killed in battle or wrecked, and in that case there
would not be a penny of prize-money. The man who stops here is sure of
prize-money if only one of the three craft get back to France. Now,
they ask me if I will undertake it. I should be better off than the
others; because in the first place I shall have you to talk with till
I get to prison, and in the next place as I can talk English I can get
on a good deal better in prison than other fellows would do. Now,
what's your advice, lad?"
"I should say certainly accept the offer, Jacques. You see, I can tell
them all what a good friend you have been to me, and it maybe they
will let you go free; but even if they don't I could make it pleasant
for you with the men, and you may be sure that if they take you to an
English prison I will do all I can to get you out of it. You see, when
you get back to France you would have really a good sum coming to you
from these three ships. The two that have been out here have collected
a tremendous lot of valuable plunder, and the Bell Marie is likely to
get quite as much if, as you say, she is going to spend two years out
in the Indian seas.
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