Indeed, Hatchett
painted a gloomy picture of the conduct of those colonists who were now
on shore, declaring that they had cast all discipline and decorum to the
winds, and that they needed stern treatment if they were to be prevented
from breaking out into open mutiny.

There were, of course, a great variety of folk among our colonists, and
many of them were weak and foolish creatures enough, as there always
will be weak and foolish creatures in any community of human beings
until the human race grows into perfection, as some philosophers
maintain that it will. Now, it certainly was precisely this element in
our little society that had been shipped off to the island, for, with
the women and children, it was the men who were most womanlike in their
noise, or most childlike in their fears, whose safety we had first
ensured. From what our Captain knew of these people, well-meaning enough
under ordinary conditions, but timorous and foolish under conditions
such as we now were in, he guessed that disorganisation and disturbance
might be likely enough. Therefore he resolved, and his resolve was
approved both by Hatchett and by Jensen, that he would go over himself
to the island and restore order among the malcontents.

Now I will confess that when I heard of this my heart sank, for I took
it for granted that Marjorie would go with Captain Marmaduke, and indeed
it seemed only right that she should go rather than remain upon the
Royal Christopher with only a parcel of rough men aboard her, and those
rough men sorely divided in purpose, and each division mistrustful of
the other. All through those long hours of shipwreck sorrow my spirits
had been cheered by the sight of her beauty and the example of her calm.
She weathered the calamity with the bravest temper; never cast down,
never assuming a false elation, but bearing herself in all just as a
true man would like the woman he loved to bear herself in stress and
peril. I have read of a maid in France ages back who raised armies to
drive my ancestors out of her fatherland and I think that maid must have
looked as my maid did and had the same blessed grace to inspire courage
and love and service.

So when I thought that Marjorie was about to quit the ship I felt such a
sudden wrench at my heart as made me feel sick and dizzy, like a man
about to faint. The water came into my eyes with the saltness of the
sea, and words without meaning--words of pain, and grief, and
longing--