He was puzzled by the singular unanimity of purpose displayed by his shipmates.

But that was their affair.

His was to insure Iris's safety; the future he must leave to Providence.
And, indeed, Providence contrived things very differently.
By nightfall the launch was a hundred miles west of the island.

Norrie got eight knots out of her, but it needed no special calculation to discover that she would barely make the coast of Brazil if she consumed every ounce of coal and wood on board.

The engines were strong and in good condition, but she had no bunker space for a long voyage.