Chapter 5 Summary

Speaking in hindsight, Marlow, the man with whom Jim had made eye contact during the trial, tells of his experiences during that time. He speaks of how the Patna incident was, for weeks, the most talked about subject in port and how one day, seemingly out of nowhere, the four members of the crew who had abandoned the ship, Jim included, arrived on shore.

The captain, by Marlow's telling, made his way to the harbor office in order to provide them with his account of the incident. There, he addressed first the principal shipping-master, Archie Ruthvel, who promptly directed him to the Master Attendant, Captain Elliot. After an excoriating exchange the captain of the Patna leaves and has a brief conversation with Marlow where it is revealed the captain's certificate had been revoked. The other three stand to one side. It is here...