Sentence:  The skipper Mr. Cooke had hired at Far Harbor was a God-fearing man with a luke warm interest in his new billet and employer, and had only been prevailed upon to take charge of the yacht after the offer of an emolument <WSD>equal</WSD> to half a year's sea pay of an ensign in the navy. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Exactly identical, having the same value.