Perrin and Margaret bit their lips, and slowly, almost fearfully, lifted their eyes to Cammock’s face. The old pirate had turned purple beneath his copper; but Olivia’s presence bridled him. He looked at Stukeley for a moment, then spun round on one heel, in the way he had learned in some ship’s forecastle, and walked out of the cabin. “I must get my charts,” he said thickly. “Stukeley,” said Margaret lightly, “Captain Cammock is the captain of this ship.” “Yes,” said Stukeley. “And I wish he knew his place as well as I know it.” “I must ask you to remember that he commands here.” “Of course,” said Olivia, rather nettled. “I hope, Stukeley,” said Perrin, “I hope you won’t quarrel with him. We’re going a long voyage together.” “Lord,” said Stukeley. “What a stew you two make. You might be two old women.” “Tom dear,” said Olivia, “is that open window too much for you?” In the diversion caused by the shutting of the window, Captain Cammock took his seat, laying a book of charts on the table before him. “Now, Captain Margaret, sir. Will you begin? I don’t rightly know what it is you want discussed.” “Very well,” said Margaret. “I’ll begin.” He leaned back in his chair, and looked first at Olivia, then at Stukeley, then at Cammock, who, he thought, looked very splendid, with his long black hair falling over his shoulders, and his grim beauty, like a bronze, thrusting from his scarlet scarf. “I don’t think you know,” he said, “at any rate, not perfectly, what it is I intend doing. This ship is mine, as I think you all know. But her cargo--it’s a general cargo, worth a good deal of money where we are going to--is the property of several London merchants, who expect me to make a profit for them. I want you to get it out of your heads that I’m doing this for love, either of adventure, or of my fellow-men. I believe I shall get adventure, and help my fellow-men. But the venture is, primarily, a business venture. If the business part fails, the whole thing will come to nothing. As you know, a part of the cargo is consigned to Virginia, and we go to Virginia direct. But we shall only stay there long enough to buy up the pick of the tobacco crop with our goods, and take in fresh water. Our real destination is the Isthmus of Darien.” “What part of the Isthmus, sir?” said Cammock. “You’ll have to tell us that. Fill Captain Cammock’s glass, Perrin.” “Thank you, Mr. Perrin,” said Cammock. He bowed to Olivia and drank. “Go on, sir.” “You see,” continued Margaret. “Well I must apologize, captain. It was part of my arrangement with Captain Cammock that he should not be told about our destination, nor about our plans, till we had left England. I need hardly say, captain, that that was not, well, not my desire. The merchants who consigned the cargo insisted on it. To tell the truth, it was only on the pledge of secrecy that the Board of Trade and Plantations gave me my commission.” “Then you’ve got a commission, sir?” said Cammock.