" "No," said Paul, "I
worked for that and hard too, so come on and we will have such a dinner
as we have not had in two weeks."
Under the genial influence of the banquet, the Count confessed to Paul
that he had retired to bed in the hope of dying quietly of starvation,
providing the landlady had not disturbed him as he felt convinced that
Paul had abandoned him. That night the landlady received one week's room
rent and graciously gave them three days more to settle up in full. Paul
was out again before daylight and sought out the contractor. This day
he got a job on the ship Fanita of San Francisco, discharging grain. It
was much cleaner and easier than scraping the steamer's bottom. His job
was to guide the sacks of grain out of the hold while a horse on the
dock attached to a long line passed over a block hoisted them up. While
at this work the two mates of the ship stood near the hatchway and
commenced making remarks about Paul whom they thought was a Frenchman.
"There is one of those French soldiers," said one.
"Yes," added the other; "he looks pretty hungry and thin; it is no
wonder the Dutch licked them."
Paul smiled, but said nothing until a better opportunity presented
itself, when he entered into conversation with the mate, who was
much surprised to find that he was an American.
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