It seemed the junior members of the wardroom thought so if not the premier – he was plied with eggs and ham, a whole pigeon in a pie as well as a suet pudding and as much coffee as he could consume, given he declined wine. If they were not partisan on behalf of John Pearce, some must be quite the reverse, each knew that one day they might find themselves in a similar predicament in which any actions they undertook, regardless of how brave and how right they had seemed at the time could, in the cold light of a courtroom, been see as wrong-headed and career breaking.It seemed the same as Pearce took a turn around the deck to ease his alimentary discomfort; his stomach was somewhat distended though he wondered if anxiety played a part. Every eye he caught – and that included from the common seamen – had within the look a man gives out when he is mentally swapping places with someone in difficulty, usually accompanied by the slightest nod of encouragement. Could Pearce take from that their approval at least of his actions after leaving Naples, for everyone now knew the story of his adventures?
