“That’s so,” Clay agreed; “you have no steam to help you ride out a breeze. But we’ll get down to business. I made you an offer of five thousand dollars to give me the first chance of cleaning up this wreck. I’ll now go a thousand dollars better.”
“It is; you’ll save time by realizing it. I’ve bid up to the last cent I think worth while.”
“You would be foolish. You have no claim on the wreck; in a sense, I have, and if we can’t come to some understanding I begin work at once. My yacht can hang on through a gale of wind and with our outfit we can get something done in pretty bad weather. You have a small sailing-boat and poor, cheap gear. As soon as a breeze gets up you’ll have to quit.”
“I imagine you haven’t yet mentioned all your advantages over us,” Bethune suggested.
Clay looked at him keenly and then smiled. “That’s so. I’m trying to be polite.”
“In fact, you’re keeping your strongest arguments in reserve. Unless we agree to your proposition, there’s not much chance of our recovering anything from the wreck?”
“You’re pretty near the mark,” Clay answered, smiling confidently.
“The odds seem against us. Perhaps I’d better be candid. The truth is, we have already recovered something of importance.”
“Then you’re smarter than I thought and you played your hand well the last time I met you. However, it will probably save us all trouble if we put our cards on the table. What have you got?”
“To begin with, two bags of gold; the weight and marks, so far as we could make the latter out—”
“Shucks!” interrupted Clay. “They don’t count. You can keep your share of their salvage. Come to the point.”
“One iron-clamped, sealed case. The stencil marks, although partly obliterated, appear to be D.O.C. in a circle; the impress on the seals to attached tracing. Contents”—Bethune paused and looked steadily at Clay—“I dare say you know what these are?”
There was silence for a few moments and all were very still. Clay’s voice was not so steady when he spoke again.
“Not here,” said Bethune dryly. “If we don’t turn up to claim it within a fixed time, or if any attempt is made to obtain possession of it in our absence it will be handed to the underwriters.”
“You seem to have taken precautions,” Clay remarked.