The dark sky, combined with the shadow of the hills of Koh-ring make navigation very difficult, and the Captain wishes he had some kind of mark in the water by which to gage his steering. The Chief Mate cries that the ship's bottom will be torn off by the land and the helmsman expresses his doubts over the Captain's order to maintain their course.Īlthough the Captain remains stern to the men, he is filled with doubt about their chances of survival.
They approach Koh-ring, and as the ship gets closer to the land, the members of the crew begin vocalizing their concern. He orders the helmsman to continue their course, while the other crewmen stare in disbelief. When the Captain returns to the deck, he is startled by the ship's proximity to the land, but he knows he must maintain this course to help Leggatt escape. Neither man says anything when they separate for the last time. He gives him three sovereigns, which Leggatt initially refuses but eventually accepts. That night, the Captain visits Leggatt for the last time. Leggatt grabs the Captain's arm as a silent gesture of thanks. He also tells him to lower himself to the sea with a rope to avoid a splash. He then returns to his cabin and tells Leggatt to escape out of the quarter-deck ports while the rest of the crew is occupied. The Captain returns to the deck and orders the Second Mate to open the quarter-deck ports. Leggatt warns him to be careful, lest a mishap cost the Captain his first command. The Captain will maneuver the ship to within half a mile of the shore. That night, the Captain tells Leggatt that he will steer the ship near Koh-ring, an island that seems inhabited. The Chief Mate expresses his shock at this decision. However, the Captain tells him that they will be sailing as close to the islands as they can to find some "land breezes" to propel them more quickly than they were moving in the middle of the Gulf.
By noon, the Chief Mate wonders when the Captain will order a change of course. The Chief Mate silently hints at his disapproval and tells the Second Mate that the order shows a lack of judgment. The Captain initially refuses, but then agrees to grant Leggatt his wish.Īt midnight, the Captain goes on deck and orders this ship to change its tack and approach the east side of the Gulf. Leggatt asks the Captain to maroon him on a nearby shore, since he will not return to England to be tried and hung. Leggatt eats tins of preserves stored in the Captain's locker and drinks the Captain's morning coffee. During this time, Leggatt hides mostly in the Captain's bathroom and sleeps with him in his bed. The Captain's tension grows more unbearable. Leggatt's presence in the Captain's cabin causes the Captain to constantly think of him, and the Chief Mate and the helmsman notice the Captain behaving in an odd, stealthy manner. The Captain, wholly convinced of Leggatt's innocence, understands that the weather, on the night Leggatt killed the crewman, "crushed an unworthy mutinous existence." Rather, he whimpered about their "last hope" while Leggatt repaired the foresail without being told to do so. Leggatt tells the Captain that the Sephora's Skipper lied when he said that he gave the order to repair the foresail. The Captain and Leggatt have another secret conversation.
As the Skipper descends the ladder to return to his ship, he begins to ask the Captain if he suspects Leggatt to be on board, but the Captain quickly dismisses him with, "Certainly not." To mislead the Skipper, the Captain shows him the rest of his cabin and stateroom, announcing his intention to do so, so that Leggatt will know to remain absolutely still. The Skipper is, however, suspicious of the Captain and remarks that while the mainland is seven miles away, the Captain's ship is only two miles away from the Sephora. He then tells the Captain that he will have to report Leggatt as a suicide. The Captain offers the Skipper the explanation that perhaps the heavy sea - rather than Leggatt - killed the crewman, but the Skipper tells him that this could not have been the case. The Skipper is distressed over Leggatt's actions and disappearance, explaining that he has been at sea for thirty-seven years and has never seen anything like what happened with Leggatt. The Skipper of the Sephora arrives on board the Captain's ship, looking for any sign of Leggatt.