She would not land yet for a couple of minutes.
"By the way," he said, "will you tell me your name ?" "Playdon--Lieutenant Philip H.Playdon." "Do you know to what nation this island belongs ?" "It is no-man's land, I think.

It is marked 'uninhabited' on the chart." "Then," said Anstruther, "I call upon you, Lieutenant Playdon, and all others here present, to witness that I, Robert Anstruther, late of the Indian Army, acting on behalf of myself and Miss Iris Deane, declare that we have taken possession of this island in the name of His Britannic Majesty the King of England, that we are the joint occupiers and owners thereof, and claim all property rights vested therein." These formal phrases, coming at such a moment, amazed his hearers.

Iris alone had an inkling of the underlying motive.
"I don't suppose any one will dispute your title," said the naval officer gravely.

He unquestionably imagined that suffering and exposure had slightly disturbed the other man's senses, yet he had seldom seen any person who looked to be in more complete possession of his faculties.
"Thank you," replied Robert with equal composure, though he felt inclined to laugh at Playdon's mystification.

"I only wished to secure a sufficient number of witnesses for a verbal declaration.