"Then the strongest man would crush the rest, and might would take the place of right," continued the captain, beginning to see that he had made a mistake in listening so patiently to Scadbolt. "We were never nearer to death than we are this day; but shall that make us forget that we are men? Shall that turn us into brutes? We have helpless women depending upon us, and upon our manliness. They shall be shown no favor in the way of provisions; they shall divide equally with us, share and share alike. But, by God, the one who seeks to deny them their fair chance of life, dies by my hand!" "I am with you, captain," cried Rough-and-Ready. "And I," said Joshua. "And I," said the sailor who had been twice wrecked. "And I," "And I," from most of the rest. "Decided, then, that all food that may be found in air or water shall be added to the general stock, and shall be fairly and equally divided." Scadbolt did not dare demur. "Rule 4. That, recognizing the full extent of our dread peril, and knowing that death stares us in the face, we resolve to die like men, if it be God's will; and thus resolving, we solemnly declare that, supposing all our food to be gone, we will not eat human flesh"-- A shudder ran round the attentive group, and Mrs. Pigeon fainted; but Captain Liddle proceeded firmly,-- "Nor draw lots as to who shall be killed to feed the rest. This we solemnly resolve, in fear of the Lord, out of common humanity, and out of respect for ourselves as Christian men." Assented to in silence; not one of them could realize the horrible craving, born of raging thirst and hunger, that had come upon men in such a strait as theirs. "That is all," concluded the captain after a long pause. "You approve, then, of the council and these rules?" "Yes." "Now to breakfast. Water, for the first week, will be served out twice a day--a quarter of a pint in the morning, and a quarter of a pint in the evening--half a pint a day to each person. Of food we have only preserved meat and sugar, and very little of either. One tablespoonful of preserved meat will be served out to each person at eleven o'clock every morning, and at five o'clock one ounce of sugar. Of rum we have about a gallon: a teaspoonful will be served out to each person once in every other day, in the morning or in the evening, as he may choose. The general stock of previsions will not be touched by any one on board, except in presence of all, and it will be guarded by two of the council; the penalty of tampering with the stock, or of attempting to steal any portion of it, will be death. And God give us strength, and send us happy deliverance!"