I see: it is
Johannes," continued the captain, going up to the bear, and saluting
him with a kick, as he recovered the supercargo's wig. "Out of the
cabin, Johannes! Out, sir!" cried Mynheer Kloots, kicking the breech
of the bear till the animal had escaped through the door. "Mynheer
Von Stroom, I am very sorry--here is your wig. Shut the door, Mynheer
Vanderdecken, or the beast may come back, for he is very fond of me." As the door was shut between Mynheer Von Stroom and the object of his
terror, the little man slid off the table to the high-backed chair
near it, shook out the damaged curls of his wig, and replaced it on
his head; pulled out his ruffles, and, assuming an air of magisterial
importance, struck his cane on the deck, and then spoke. "Mynheer Kloots, what is the meaning of this disrespect to the
supercargo of the puissant Company?" "God in Heaven! no disrespect, Mynheer;--the animal is a bear, as you
see; he is very tame, even with strangers. He belongs to me. I have
had him since he was three months old. It was all a mistake. The mate,
Mynheer Hillebrant, put him in the cabin, that he might be out of the
way while the duty was carrying on, and he quite forgot that he was
here. I am very sorry, Mynheer Von Stroom; but he will not come here
again, unless you wish to play with him." "Play with him! I! supercargo to the Company, play with a bear! Mynheer Kloots, the animal must be thrown overboard immediately." "Nay, nay; I cannot throw overboard an animal that I hold in much
affection, Mynheer Von Stroom; but he shall not trouble you." "Then, Captain Kloots, you will have to deal with the Company, to whom
I shall represent the affair. Your charter will be cancelled, and your
freight-money will be forfeited." Kloots was, like most Dutchmen, not a little obstinate, and this
imperative behaviour on the part of the supercargo raised his bile. "There is nothing in the charter that prevents my having an animal on
board," replied Kloots. "By the regulations of the Company," replied Von Stroom, falling back
in his chair with an important air, and crossing his thin legs, "you
are required to receive on board strange and curious animals,
sent home by the governors and factors to be presented to crowned
heads,--such as lions, tigers, elephants, and other productions of
the East;--but in no instance is it permitted to the commanders of
chartered ships to receive on board, on their own account, animals of
any description, which must be considered under the offence of private
trading." "My bear is not for sale, Mynheer Von Stroom." "It must immediately be sent out of the ship, Mynheer Kloots; I order
you to send it away,--on your peril to refuse." "Then we will drop the anchor again, Mynheer Von Stroom, and send on
shore to head-quarters to decide the point. If the Company insists
that the brute be put on shore, be it so; but recollect, Mynheer Von
Stroom, we shall lose the protection of the fleet, and have to sail
alone. Shall I drop the anchor, Mynheer?" This observation softened down the pertinacity of the supercargo; he
had no wish to sail alone, and the fear of this contingency was more
powerful than the fear of the bear. "Mynheer Kloots, I will not be too severe; if the animal is chained,
so that it does not approach me, I will consent to its remaining on
board." "I will keep it out of your way as much as I can; but as for chaining
up the poor animal, it will howl all day and night, and you will have
no sleep, Mynheer Von Stroom," replied Kloots. The supercargo, who perceived that the captain was positive, and that
his threats were disregarded, did all that a man could do who could
not help himself. He vowed vengeance in his own mind, and then, with
an air of condescension, observed: "Upon those conditions, Mynheer
Kloots, your animal may remain on board." Mynheer Kloots and Philip then left the cabin; the former, who was in
no very good humour, muttering as he walked away--"If the Company send
their _monkeys_ on board, I think I may well have my _bear_" And,
pleased with his joke, Mynheer Kloots recovered his good humour. Chapter IX


We must allow the Indian fleet to pursue its way to the Cape with
every variety of wind and weather. Some had parted company; but
the rendezvous was Table Bay, from which they were again to start
together. Philip Vanderdecken was soon able to render some service on board. He studied his duty diligently, for employment prevented him from
dwelling too much upon the cause of his embarkation, and he worked
hard at the duties of the ship, for the exercise procured for him that
sleep which otherwise would have been denied. He was soon a favourite of the captain, and intimate with Hillebrant,
the first mate; the second mate, Struys, was a morose young man, with
whom he had little intercourse. As for the supercargo, Mynheer Jacob
Janz Von Stroom, he seldom ventured out of his cabin. The bear
Johannes was not confined, and therefore Mynheer Von Stroom confined
himself; hardly a day passed that he did not look over a letter which
he had framed upon the subject, all ready to forward to the Company;
and each time that he perused it he made some alteration, which he
considered would give additional force to his complaint, and would
prove still more injurious to the interests of Captain Kloots. In the meantime, in happy ignorance of all that was passing in the
poop-cabin, Mynheer Kloots smoked his pipe, drank his schnapps, and
played with Johannes. The animal had also contracted a great affection
for Philip, and used to walk the watch with him. There was another party in the ship whom we must not lose sight
of--the one-eyed pilot, Schriften, who appeared to have imbibed a
great animosity towards our hero, as well as to his dumb favourite
the bear. As Philip held the rank of an officer, Schriften dared not
openly affront, though he took every opportunity of annoying him, and
was constantly inveighing against him before the ship's company. To
the bear he was more openly inveterate, and seldom passed it without
bestowing upon it a severe kick, accompanied with a horrid curse. Although no one on board appeared to be fond of this man, everybody
appeared to be afraid of him, and he had obtained a control over the
seamen which appeared unaccountable. Such was the state of affairs on board the good ship _Ter Schilling_,
when, in company with two others, she lay becalmed about two days'
sail to the Cape. The weather was intensely hot, for it was the summer
in those southern latitudes, and Philip, who had been lying down under
the awning spread over the poop, was so overcome with the heat that he
had fallen asleep. He awoke with a shivering sensation of cold over
his whole body, particularly at his chest, and half-opening his eyes,
he perceived the pilot, Schriften, leaning over him, and holding
between his finger and his thumb a portion of the chain which had not
been concealed, and to which was attached the sacred relic.