I never laid my head down, on board ship, with greater satisfaction, than I did that night. Let the truth be frankly stated. I was perfectly satisfied with myself. It was owing to my decision and vigilance that the ship was saved, when outside the reef, out of all question; and I think she would have been lost after she struck adrift, had I not discovered her present berth. There she was, however, with land virtually all round her, a good bottom, plenty of water, and well moored. As I have said already, she could not be better secured in an artificial dock. In the midst of the Pacific, away from all custom-house officers, in a recently discovered and uninhabited island, there was nothing to fear. Men sleep soundly in such circumstances, and I should have been in a deep slumber in a minute after I was in my berth, had not Marble's conversation kept me awake, quite unwillingly on my part, for five minutes. His state-room door was open, and, through it, the following discourse was held.
“I think, on the whole,” commenced the captain, “it will be better to generalize a little more,”—this was a favourite expression of the ex-mate's, and one he often used without exactly knowing its application himself.—“Yes, to generalize a little more; it shall be Marble Land, Wallingford Bay, Yawl, Reef, Talcott Inlet, Miles's Anchorage—and a d——d bad anchorage it was, Miles; but, never mind, we must take the good with the bad, in this wicked world.”
“Very true, sir; but as for taking that anchorage, you must excuse me, as I shall never take it again.”
“Perhaps not. Well, this is what I call comfort—ha! Talcott?—Is Talcott asleep, Miles?”
“He and the second-mate are hard at it, sir—full and by, and going ten knots,” I muttered, wishing my tormentor in Japan, at the moment.
“Ay; they are rackers at a sleep! I say, Miles, such a discovery as this will make a man's fortune! The world generalizes in discoveries, altogether, making no great matter of distinction between your Columbuses, Cooks, or Marbles. An island is an island and he who first discovers it, has the credit. Poor Captain Williams! He would have sailed this ship for a whole generation, and never found anything in the way of novelty.”
“Except the Straits—” I muttered very indistinctly, breathing deep and hard.
“Ay, that was an affair! Hadn't you and I been aboard, the ship never would have done that. We are the very offspring of luck! There was the affair of the wreck off Madagascar—there are bloody currents in the Pacific, too, I find, Miles.”
“Yes, sir—hard-a-weather—”
“The fellow's dreaming. One word, boy, before you cut loose from all reason and reflection. Don't you think it would be a capital idea to poke in a little patriotism among the names; patriotism goes so far in our part of the world. Congress Rocks would be a good title for the highest part of the reef, and Washington Sands would do for the landing you told me of. Washington should have a finger in the pie.”