my wits' ends to please 'em; when one mornin', havin' passed a restless
night, I picks up a noospaper and sees in it that 'Next Saturday's steamer
is a weritable treasure-ship, takin' out twelve million dollars, and the
jewels of a certain prima donna valued at five hundred thousand.' 'Here's
my chance,' says I, an' I goes to sea and lies in wait for the steamer. I
captures her easy, my crew bein' hungry, an' fightin' according like. We
steals the box a-hold-in' the jewels an' the bag containin' the millions,
hustles back to our own ship, an' makes for our rondyvoo, me with two
bullets in my leg, four o' my crew killed, and one engin' of my ship
disabled by a shot--but happy. Twelve an' a half millions at one break is
enough to make anybody happy."

"I should say so," said Abeuchapeta, with an ecstatic shake of his head.
"I didn't get that in all my career."

"Nor I," sighed Kidd. "But go on, Hawkins."

"Well, as I says," continued Captain Hawkins, "we goes to the rondyvoo to
look over our booty. 'Captain 'Awkins,' says my valet--for I was a swell
pirate, gents, an' never travelled nowhere without a man to keep my
clothes brushed and the proper wrinkles in my trousers--'this 'ere twelve
millions,' says he, 'is werry light,' says he, carryin' the bag ashore. 'I
don't care how light it is, so long as it's twelve millions, Henderson,'
says I; but my heart sinks inside o' me at his words, an' the minute we
lands I sits down to investigate right there on the beach. I opens the
bag, an' it's the one I was after--but the twelve millions!"

"Weren't there?" cried Conrad.

"Yes, they was there," sighed Hawkins, "but every bloomin' million was