Mahomet Achmet, with whom I parted the best of friends, expressed the
hope that we would one day meet again.
"I will not sell this jewel, Signor Peter," he said to me when I paid
him for his work with some money we had aboard the ship, and presented
him with a fine ruby, according to promise. "I will keep it in memory
of a shrewd man whose wit did more to save him than his money, for I
may tell you that neither you nor your ship's company would have been
allowed to leave this place had you not spoken to the king of the
ill-luck which these rubies bring to those who come not honestly by
them."
I thanked Mahomet for his frankness, which I promised to remember
should I ever have occasion to revisit Sumatra.
And now, all being ready, we put to sea, and by evening the island of
Sumatra had disappeared beyond the horizon.
CHAPTER XLVIII
STATEN LAND
Hartog believed, from an ancient Portuguese chart which we had with us,
that an island continent lay to the south-east, and after a lengthened
period, during which we encountered bad weather and rough sea, we
sighted a formidable coastline, which appeared to be a mainland
extending on either side as far as the eye could reach.
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