In Search of an Unknown Race — page 212: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

198 VAN. But the ship was bound to Japan; while it was for Van’s interest to go in almost the opposite direction. What was to be done? The first thing, of course, was to tell Captain Peterson his story from the time he woke in the Rattler’s cabin to find the schooner in possession of her scoundrelly crew, up to the loss of the Para and his own experiences —which narration took a good part of the forenoon. Captain Peterson’s interest, astonishment and delight in all he heard, cannot well be described. As he told Van his own experiences during his thirty years of sea life, they faded into tameness beside Van’s strange record of the past weeks and months. The importance of Van’s return to the States as soon as possible, that he might secure his diamonds, was evident enough; yet how this could be done was a rather perplexing question. ‘‘If we are fortunate enough to meet a home bound ship, I can easily transfer you to her,” he said, ‘‘ but I tell you frankly, the chances are rather doubtful. At Yokohama we shall probably load for San Francisco, and from the latter port you can go overland to Massa- chusetts in six or seven days.” ‘But in the meantime Flores may have got rid of half my ‘inheritance’—perhaps the whole or it,” rather rue- fully returned Van. YetIam inclined to believe that he was not thinking altogether of his diamonds in thus speaking. But Captain Peterson thought otherwise. He reasoned that from what he had heard concerning Flores, the youth, though utterly unscrupulous and devoid of principle, was too shrewd and clear-headed to plunge into a career EoOmicbooks.jco