For that was, it seems, the notion most of these fellows
had in their heads of poor Captain Amber's Utopia.
I had begun to perceive by this time that a very large number of those
that had come out with Captain Amber aboard of the Royal Christopher
were but weak-spirited creatures, and such as might be called
fair-weather friends. So long as all was going well and there was a
prospect before them of a prosperous future and everything they wanted,
they were supple enough and loud to laud the good gentleman who was
conveying them to comfort. But with the break in our luck their praises
and their patience went in a whiff, and they showed themselves to be
such a parcel of wrong-headed, grumbling, disheartened and dispiriting
knaves as ever helped to shake a good man's courage. They were as ready
to imprecate Captain Amber now as they had been to load him with praises
before, and in this they were supported by all the worser sort--and
these were the greater part--among the sailors that had stayed with the
colonists. But with Lancelot's arrival upon the island he soon put a
stop to all loudly expressed grumbling--or at least to all grumbling
that was loudly expressed in his hearing. There were some good fellows
amongst the colonists, and the old soldiers were staunch and sturdy
fellows, who adored Captain Amber, and Lancelot after him. So, as we had
these with us, we made the grumblers keep civil tongues in their heads,
aye and work too to the bettering of our conditions. The first party
had made themselves some huts and now we made more for ourselves who
were new-comers, with tents of a kind out of sail-cloth that we had
brought from the ship, and for Lancelot a large double hut covered with
some of this same cloth for him and Marjorie to dwell in. And, Lord!
what a joy it was to see how Marjorie bestirred herself making herself
as good a lieutenant to Lancelot as Captain's heart could desire. But we
were all so busy that in those hours on that island I seldom had speech
with her, for my care was chiefly with those discontented and weaklings
who were so eager to complain and make mischief.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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