rong; you would have been
able to reason, and to perceive that certain causes invariably produce
certain effects. You would have discovered that knowledge is power, and
that the more knowledge a man possesses the higher he is able to rise in
the world. Instead of stopping at being a boatswain, you would have
risen to be, first a mate, and then a master--and possibly an owner some
day, as other men have done. Now, put that in your pipe and smoke it!"

And I jumped up and went below to fetch my sextant up on deck; for by
this time it was drawing well on toward noon.

As the day wore on, the wind fell lighter, until by sunset the ship
scarcely had steerage-way; consequently it was not until the next
morning that we found ourselves off the island of Amsterdam, past which
we drifted so slowly that, had there been anyone on the island, they
would have had ample time to make their presence known. But we saw no
one, nor anything in the least resembling a signal. After skirting the
western side of the island to its northern extremity, I gave the order
to bring the ship to the wind, and gave the officer of the watch a
compass course of east-south-east for Cape Otway. I was not going to
yield to Wilde at the first demand; and not at all, if I could possibly
help it; although my talk with the boatswain was of anything but an
encouraging character. There was still the carpenter, however; and I
thought I would sound him as to his views on this visionary scheme of
Wilde's, the very first step toward the realisation of which involved an
act of piracy. But when I came to talk to him I soon found that he was
even worse to deal with than the boatswain; for although perhaps not
quite so ignorant as the latter, he was still ignorant enough to be
convinced by the specious arguments of the Socialist, to readily accept
the doctrine of perfect equality between all men, and--like most of
those whose labour is of an arduous character, and whose life is one of
almost constant hardship and privation--to be dazzled by the alluring
prospect of being able to live out the rest of his days on an island
where--according to Wilde--Nature would do all the work, and man would
only need to stretch forth his hand to gather in her bounties.

I will do Wilde the justice to say that he manifested no impatience
while awaiting the announcement of my decision relative to the proposal
which he had made to me; on the contrary, when I met him at the cabin
ta