The Narrator is Remanded to Custody
The narrator, unable to convince a court so prejudiced with spite and fortified with ignorance against truth, peacefully submits to being reconducted to his fellow-prisoner. Morgan receives the particulars of the trial and responds with silent anguish, lifting his hands and eyes to Heaven and uttering a dreadful groan. Fearing to speak his thoughts aloud lest the sentinel overhear, Morgan instead bursts forth into a Welsh song, accompanied by violent gestures and contortions of face, expressing the depth of his distress at the injustice their captors have inflicted.
CHAPITRE XXXI.
This chapter recounts events following the narrator and Morgan’s wrongful confinement, including the exposure of surgeon Mackshane’s plot to suborn false testimony against them, their conditional release, the fleet’s voyage from Jamaica to Hispaniola to join the West India Squadron, its subsequent journey to Carthagena, and the widely criticized tactical choices made during the Carthagena campaign.
Discovery of Subornation via Evidence Quarrel
A quarrel breaks out between the two Greek witnesses who provided false testimony against the narrator and Morgan. One of the Greeks, seeking revenge against the other, reveals the full details of Mackshane’s plot to frame the pair, exposing the surgeon’s malicious scheme.
Persuading Morgan to Accept Conditional Freedom
After the subornation plot is exposed, the narrator and Morgan are set at liberty and ordered to return to their duties. The narrator eventually persuades the obstinate Morgan to accept this conditional freedom rather than insisting on a court-martial, by appealing to his desire to take personal revenge against Mackshane once they return to England.
Mackshane’s Malice and Fleet’s Voyage to Jamaica
The fleet sails to Jamaica, where it anchors at Port Royal for roughly one month. Critics argue the fleet wasted time at Jamaica, rather than joining the pre-positioned West India Squadron at the western end of Hispaniola, which would have allowed them to launch a direct attack on Carthagena before Spanish forces could prepare their defenses.
Sailing to Hispaniola with West India Squadron
The fleet departs Jamaica and sails to join the West India Squadron that had received advance notice of their arrival and was waiting at the western end of Hispaniola, with the intention of sailing directly for Carthagena before Spanish forces could prepare for an attack or even learn of the English fleet’s plans.
Taking on Water, Sailing to Carthagena
After taking on water at Hispaniola, the combined fleet sets sail for Carthagena to carry out the planned attack on the Spanish port.
Greek Quarrel Exposes Mackshane’s Plot
The conflict between the two Greek witnesses leads one of them to disclose the full scope of Mackshane’s plot, including the details of how the surgeon bribed witnesses to provide false testimony against the narrator and Morgan.
Doctor’s Intercession Secures Our Release
The ship’s doctor, aware that the fleet will soon be within reach of Jamaica where the narrator and Morgan can clear themselves at a court-martial and expose Mackshane’s malice and incompetence, successfully intercedes with the captain to secure the pair’s release from confinement.
Morgan’s Initial Refusal of Conditional Release
Despite being freed, the stubborn Morgan initially refuses the conditional release, insisting he will remain in irons until he is formally discharged by a court-martial that he believes will also punish his enemies.
Boy Confesses Surgeon Bribed Him for False Testimony
Before the treacherous mess boy is dismissed, he confesses that surgeon Mackshane bribed him to give false testimony against the narrator and Morgan, paying him with a pair of stockings and two old checkered shirts that Mackshane’s servant later stole from the boy.
Discharging the Treacherous Mess Boy
The narrator and Morgan dismiss the disloyal mess boy from their service, ignoring his tearful pleas and claims of penitence for his role in betraying them.
Morgan’s Anger Over Missing Mess Provisions
When the keys to their storage chests are delivered, Morgan discovers that all his Cheshire cheese, brandy, and onions have been stolen. He flies into a rage, threatening to prosecute whoever stole the provisions, before calming down once he realizes the loss can be easily remedied.
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