"What did you do then?" Edwards asked Aitken.

 "I took the four men in custody. The American master demanded a receipt for them, saying he would protest to the American government. I gave him one - and warned him of the dangers of signing on mutineers."

 "Very sound advice, " Edwards commented dryly. "That completes your evidence?" When Aitken nodded, Edwards looked up at the prisoners. "Do any of you have any questions to ask this witness?"

 Weaver shuffled forward a pace - a move which made one of the Marine sentries swing round to watch him.

 "By your leave, sir, I do."

 "Carry on, then, but speak slowly so the deputy judge advocate can write it all down."

 "I came up to you the moment you boarded, didn't I, sir?" Weaver asked Aitken.

 "I think you did, " Aitken answered. "I can't be sure because I was looking for the master. But you were waiting to speak to me, that was obvious."

 "Was my name on your list, sir?"

 "The name George Weaver was not."

 "Did you -" the man paused. The careful way that the president, Gowers and Aitken had been speaking, lapsing from time to time into the jargon of courts martial, was obviously bothering him, and the president said quickly: "Just phrase your questions clearly, as though you were talking to a shipmate."

 "Aye, thank'ee, sir. Did you ask any of the others - these three here - who I was?"

 "Yes, they all said they knew you only as George Weaver, and you were the captain's steward."

 "Did you ask them when I joined the ship, sir?"

 Aitken nodded. "Yes I did, because of your claim."

 Edwards leaned forward and looked directly at Aitken. "What claim was this?"

 "Well, sir, he claimed he had nothing to do with the mutiny and that no one else - no one not serving in the Jocasta at the time that is - could have known he was on board."

 "That's it, sir, " Weaver said excitedly, taking another step forward and being pushed back by a Marine.

 Ramage guessed that Edwards knew all about the claim, but what he knew from Aitken's original report was not evidence: the truth of the affair was, legally, what appeared in the court martial minutes that Gowers was keeping, and this laborious question-and-answer procedure was the only way of recording it.

 "Wait a moment, Weaver; I am questioning Mr Aitken, " Edwards said. "Now, tell the court about this matter, and remember the rule about hearsay evidence: what Weaver told you is evidence, but what Weaver said someone else told him is not."

 "Quite, sir. Well, Weaver said that after the Jocasta sailed from Jamaica, and before the mutiny, she fell in with a British merchant ship and pressed five men. Among them was Weaver."

 Aitken paused as Gowers waved his quill frantically, warning him to speak slowly, and Ramage suddenly realized the point Weaver was trying to make. As far as the Admiralty was concerned, Weaver did not exist - at least, not as a Jocasta.

 "Weaver claimed that because the mutineers destroyed the Jocasta's latest muster book, the Navy did not know that he was on board. The Navy only knew the men who were on board when the ship was in Jamaica, when the previous muster book was sent in."

 The five captains understood exactly what Weaver meant, but it had to be explained more fully for the minutes. "Did Weaver know that muster books are sent to the Admiralty from time to time?" the president asked.

 "Yes, sir. He told me that a new muster book had been started a week before the Jocasta sailed from Jamaica, so that the only record the Admiralty had of the men on board during the mutiny came from the previous muster book."

 "Did he know of any men who had left the ship after the new muster book was started but before the ship left Jamaica?"

 That was a shrewd question, Ramage noted; Captain Edwards was as concerned with the truth of the whole mutiny as he was with trying these four men. His question could avoid a man being wrongly accused of being on board the ship.

 "Yes, sir. He mentioned three men who had been discharged dead just before the mutiny."

 "He gave the names?"

 "Yes, sir."

 "Were these dead men's names on the list of mutineers you had in your possession?"

 "Yes, sir."

 "Very well. Now, Weaver, have you any more questions to ask this witness?"

 "Yes, sir." He turned towards Aitken. "Did I say to you that I was giving myself up, sir?"

 "You did."

 "And wasn't you taken aback, like, and didn't you go right through your list and ask me if the name 'George Weaver' was an alias?"

 "I was puzzled at first, yes, and I did check the list again."

 "Why, sir?"

 There was a sudden silence in the cabin: Gowers's pen stopped squeaking and every man's eye was on Aitken. Even the Marine sentries realized how much depended on the Scots officer's reply.

 "Because you'd have been left in the American brig if you had kept silent. At least, unless one of the other prisoners gave you away."

 Captain Edwards held up his hand. "Summers refused to denounce the other two. Do you think he would have denounced you?"

 "Yes, sir, providing he was asked direct; we'd had a falling out, " Weaver said simply, obviously realizing that the question and answer did much to destroy his defence. "But, sir, I went up to this gentleman to give myself up the minute he boarded. I didn't know why he was coming on board. No one did. It just seemed routine. No one knew he was looking for Jocastas - why, all that happened two years ago. I didn't know he'd find Summers."

 Ramage leaned forward to catch the president's eye and Edwards nodded, giving permission for him to ask a question.

 "Why did you sign on board the American brig?" Ramage asked.

 "T'was the only way I could get away from the Main, sir."

 "Why did you want to get away from the Main?"

 Weaver looked puzzled and went to scratch his head, but his hands were manacled. "Well, sir, I was trying to get back to my own folk."

 That was what Ramage had expected, but Weaver was taking too much for granted; he was expecting the court to understand instinctively why he had done certain things. More questions were needed so that Weaver's answers filled in the story.

 "But you were in an American ship, bound for an American port."

 "Aye, sir, I were; but the Jonathans are the only ones what come into ports on the Main. I was reckoning on getting to England from Charleston, or maybe back down to Jamaica."

 "Supposing you reached England or Jamaica - what did you Intend to do?"

 "Do, sir? Why, report to the authorities - just like I did when this gentleman came on board the brig."

 "Why did you think the Lieutenant boarded the brig?"

 "I dunno, sir. Mebbe to press some men, like when I was pressed into the Jocasta. But the minute I saw the Juno was a British ship I told my mate I was going to try to get on board."

 "Your mate?"

 "The friend of mine I met in Barcelona: the one what got me signed on."

 "Was he an American or one of these prisoners?"

 Weaver looked dumbfounded. "An American, sir. Why, if these fellers -" he nodded towards the other three men "- if they'd known what I was going to do they'd 'ave done me in. Why, you saw that Summers tried to throttle me. Well, you didn't, sir, but the Lieutenant did."

 Edwards tapped the table lightly with his gavel.

 "Are you prepared to give evidence against the other prisoners?" he demanded.

 "Why, yes, sir, of course."

 "Clear the court, " Edwards said briskly.