The soldiers entering the house cause the guests to rise in confusion. The sergeant, holding handcuffs, asks for the blacksmith. He shows Joe the handcuffs, which are faulty, and asks for them to be repaired—for they will be needed. Joe says it will take two hours to do the work. The soldier asks him to begin immediately. The soldier then asks for the time and is assured that even with this delay, they will have enough light to corner the convicts in the marshes.
Mrs. Joe plays hostess to the soldiers. A few help Joe in the forge.
When Joe finishes his work, he and Mr. Wopsle go with the soldiers to witness the capture. Joe brings Pip along with them. Pip is worried the convict will think he notified the soldiers. In the marshes, they hear a shout. As they draw nearer, they realize there are several voices.
The soldiers surround the convicts, who are fighting one another. Pip’s convict is pleased that he prevented the other from escaping and got him caught—even though he knows it will do him no good. The other convict tells the sergeant that Pip’s convict tried to kill him. Pip’s convict says the other man is not worth murdering, but he is pleased that he got him sent back to prison. He could have gotten away, but he chose to go after the other convict. The other convict continues to accuse Pip’s convict of trying to murder him.
Pip’s convict sees Pip. Pip tries to gesture that he wasn’t the one that set the soldiers upon him.
The soldiers bring the convicts to a landing place. Pip’s convict tells the sergeant that he stoled food and a file from the blacksmith’s house. Joe says he was welcome to the food, for they wouldn’t have wanted him to starve.
The convict is put into a rowboat that is rowed by other convicts. He is taken back to the prison ship.