"What extremity the Dutch useth unto you," he wrote, "they shall have their measure full and abounding either in gentleness or rigour; and whereas they have heretofore protested fire and sword, fire and sword they shall have repaid unto their bosoms."
Fierce as was the spirit of the indomitable Courthope he had a singularly happy gift of attaching to himself the affection of his followers. When some of the men revolted against the coarse sago bread which now constituted almost their sole rations, "his mild carriage and earnest protestations" won them back to their allegiance. It was always so when the burden seemed almost too great for the ordinary seaman to bear. A reminder of their duty coupled with a personal plea for patience made them invariably his devoted followers once more. His influence over the natives was also remarkable. They rallied to him as they had rallied to no Englishman before, and they fought under him with a resolution which caused the Dutch to entertain a wholesome fear of invading the island. When at length some weeks after the capture of the Solomon they did essay an attack with a force of 700 men, they were defeated with an ease which suggested that the disciplinary influence of the gallant Englishman had gone very deep.
Months went by without any material change in the situation, Courthope hoping against hope all the while, holding his tight little island with undiminished determination. At length early in 1619 his heart was gladdened with the news that Sir Thomas Dale with a considerable English fleet had won a victory over the Dutch and was coming to his relief. It now seemed that the fruits of his long and stubborn stand for the rights of his country were to be
