When Shaftoe mentions that the gold bars had Chinese characters stamped on them, both Beck and Bischoff are floored. Their faces come aglow, as if lit up by the scanning beam of a Leigh light on a moonless night. Beck begins to sniffle, as if he’s caught a cold, and Shaftoe’s startled to realize that he’s actually crying. He is crying tears of shame. But Bischoff is still fascinated and focused.