Then he turned and gave orders to his Arab crew to bring up our
belongings from the hold and to lower the /Maria's/ boat.
Never did I see goods transferred in quicker time. Within half an hour
every one of our packages was off that ship, for Stephen Somers kept a
count of them. Our personal baggage went into the /Maria's/ boat, and
the goods together with the four donkeys which were lowered on to the
top of them, were rumbled pell-mell into the barge-like punt belonging
to Hassan. Here also I was accommodated, with about half of our
people, the rest taking their seats in the smaller boat under the
charge of Stephen.
At length all was ready and we cast off.
"Farewell, Captain," I cried to Delgado. "If you should sight the
/Crocodile/----"
At this point Delgado broke into such a torrent of bad language in
Portuguese, Arabic and English that I fear the rest of my remarks
never reached him.
As we rowed shorewards I observed that Hans, who was seated near to me
under the stomach of a jackass, was engaged in sniffing at the sides
and bottom of the barge, as a dog might do, and asked him what he was
about.
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