i
- Plunkett's mind is always on the detail of the Battle of the Saints, and he makes mini-pilgrimages all over the island to check his geographical accuracy.
- On one of these trips, he heads out to Fort Rodney and stands there correcting the pamphlet he was given about the battle.
- Plunkett has an encounter with an iguana (or lizard) and gets belligerent with the creature over the ownership of the island.
- As he discusses things with the lizard, he gets pretty nasty about the differences between Euro-centric history and history through the eyes of indigenous people.
- He tells the lizard that "the greatest battle in naval history" was not fought for an ugly reptile or for the people of the island. Ouch.
- Plunkett realizes that he and the English will wind up on the wrong side of history in the Caribbean and it maddens him.
ii
- Plunkett continues his research and journeys. We get close to his obsession when he mixes his references to Helen again, moving fluidly between referring to the island and the girl.
- He finds the name of Midshipman Plunkett as he pokes through war-related documents—it freaks him out, to say the least.
iii
- Plunkett tries to see the island from the young midshipman's eyes.
- Once he realizes that the other Plunkett died at nineteen, Dennis Plunkett "adopts" him as a son. You know, because retroactively adopting one's ancestors is a totally logical and not at all weird thing to do…
- He closes his discovery with a prayer and the decision to keep the young man a secret from Maud. We're thinking that's a good idea.