Mr. Bates glanced at me somewhat nervously and said: ‘Well, Butler, first let’s get them: then we shall be sure they’re the men, and when we’ve got them we must hope they’ll confess.’
‘They’ll not go out of this ship alive unless they confess,’ said Tom.
‘If they confess under terror will their confession help you, sir?’ said Will.
‘Johnstone is the son of a lawyer, Bates,’ said Tom.
‘But there’s good sense in the question, Butler,’ said the mate. ‘They may swear their confession was a lie, that they were forced into telling it by your threats to hang them.’
‘The terms of the confession shall provide against that, and every man in this ship shall witness it. Let them confess; I’ll take my chance of what may follow.’
‘Will Rotch and the other be free here, Tom?’ I asked.
‘No.’
‘Then we remain short-handed as before?’ said Will.
‘There’s a seaman along with the two—you’ve forgotten him,’ exclaimed Tom. ‘He’ll make four, and Marian five.’