Page:The Road to Monterey (1925).pdf/59

 hour with a name more detestable, more terrible, than that of debtor servant whose situation was that of a slave.

"To be added to that, twenty-five dollars for clothing furnished in your naked state when you arrived," Don Abrahan continued, over-looking Henderson's protest as if he had not heard.

"I've had two shirts, a pair of jeans trousers and a pair of Boston brogans. The whole outfit wasn't worth more than five dollars."

"You must consider the transportation, the freight," said Don Abrahan mildly, advancing the excuse for extortion which became general among the commercial pirates of California of a later day.

Henderson had believed the ship's slop-chest incomparable for high prices anywhere on the globe. Captain Welliver had been willing to trade on a profit of two hundred per cent.; Don Abrahan, benevolent gentleman, must have five hundred. Henderson saw that the longer he remained on that plantation the deeper he would be in debt. It seemed a marvel to him that Don Abrahan had not taken the thirty dollars which he carried with him when he deserted ship, and charged that up against him also.

"How much do you figure I'm in debt to you as we stand?" he inquired.

"It amounted to seventy-five dollars at the beginning. You have been here two months?"

"A little more than a month and a half."

"You can see then how the account will stand.