Chapter 9 Summary

Pullings completes Surprise's readying for sea and pulls himself from shore to the boat. He is hailed by a raggedy boat full of apparently drunken men, and Pullings begins to feel offended by their persistent and unintelligible hollering. But at the sound of an English profanity from the distant boat, he looks closer and realizes it is Aubrey and his men in the small open boat. They have weathered five days on the open ocean in storm and are little better than corpses. They are taken aboard Surprise and nurtured back to health. Pullings is later able to report that Surprise has been fully refitted and is ready for sea duty. Aubrey explains his reason for sailing in the boat—to warn Maturin. A few hours later, Aubrey's illegitimate son, Sam Panda, comes aboard and delivers some alarming news—Dutourd indeed...