He shrugs, but he’s looking down at the jewels with a troubled expression. While it’s not a king’s ransom in stones, it’s precious enough. If they need to travel on their own… if they can and if they must… a find like this might help them. If they need accommodations, they might be able to trade a stone or two away, or sell them. There’s enough to fill his fist, and more.

The trouble is that if they have the value he thinks, the pirates will probably be after them too.

“Tie them up in a square of cloth. Keep them hidden. Use them, if and when we need to. The handles of those swords” (more are visible in the box, now that they’ve nearly emptied it) “— they look tarnished to you? I think they might be silver.”