But I told them I knew not what mercy to show them; for as for myself, I had resolved to quit the island with all my men, and had taken passage with the captain to go to England; and as for the captain, he could not carry them to England other than as prisoners in irons, to be tried for mutiny and running away with the ship; the consequence of which, they must needs know, would be the gallows; so that I could not tell what was best for them, unless they had a mind to take their fate in the island.
Qual carità vi posso usar io che sto per partire da quest’isola con tutta la mia gente, e mi sono già accordato qui col capitano per essere trasportato in Inghilterra nel suo vascello? Il capitano poi non potrebbe condurvi altro che in ferri per essere processati come ribelli e ladri di un bastimento: ciò, lo capite da voi medesimi, vi condurrebbe diritto alla forca.