Ivory was a very beautiful material and cost very dear, they knew.

All this they knew, but the value of the two tusks they could not guess at.

They said so.
"Well, my children," said Von Bloom, "as near as I can estimate them, they are worth twenty pounds each of English money." "Oh! oh! Such a grand sum!" cried all in a breath.
"Yes," continued the field-cornet; "I should think each tusk is one hundred pounds in weight, and as ivory at present sells for four shillings and sixpence the pound weight, these two would yield between forty and fifty pounds of sterling money." "Why, it would buy a full span of best oxen!" cried Hans.
"Four good horses!" said Hendrik.
"A whole flock of sheep!" added little Jan.
"But whom can we sell them to ?" asked Hendrik, after a pause.

"We are away from the settlements.

Who is to give us either oxen, or horses, or sheep, for them?
It would not be worth while to carry two tusks all the way--" "Not _two_, Hendrik," said his father, interrupting him; "but _twenty_ it might,--ay, twice twenty, or three times that number.