- The skipper of the Sephora comes to chat with our narrator. The narrator asks him what's up, and the guy replies that he's looking for a murderer who escaped from the Sephora (well duh). The narrator pretends to be hard of hearing so the guy will speak loudly enough for Leggatt to hear in the next room.
- As the skipper tells the story of how Leggatt strangled the man to death, the narrator keeps interrupting and trying to justify Leggatt's actions.
- But it's no use—the skipper thinks Leggatt is just a cold-blooded killer. He even admits thinking from day one that he didn't like Leggatt all that much.
- Just when it seems like the skipper is going to leave, he glances at the narrator and seems to show newfound distrust. The narrator wonders if the physical similarity between himself and Leggatt has aroused some weird suspicion in the skipper.
- To prove that nothing's up, the narrator gives the skipper a tour of his chambers, knowing that Leggatt is smart enough to hide himself before they come in.
- Finally, the skipper of the Sephora pulls himself away and sets off in his boat. The narrator and Leggatt have dodged a major bullet. It turns out that the rest of the skipper's crew has spread the story about Leggatt all over the narrator's ship. Now everyone on board knows that a murderer escaped from the Sephora.
- When he returns to his chambers, the captain chats with Leggatt about the stuff the skipper of the Sephora said. Leggatt heard all of it, and he's especially mad at the skipper for taking credit for saving the Sephora from a storm. It was actually Leggatt's quick thinking that saved the day—at least according to Leggatt.
- Just when the narrator wants to talk to Leggatt most, there's a knock at the door. One of the shipmates announces that there's now enough wind to get the ship moving. The narrator heads out to command the ship on its way back to Europe.
- In the coming days, the narrator and Leggatt have a few more near misses. One day, the narrator startles the ship's steward by talking to him. The steward was certain that the narrator was in his chambers, since he heard someone moving around inside. The narrator knows that the steward has heard Leggatt, but pretends that it must have been nothing.
- In the coming nights, the narrator whispers with Leggatt at night, since Leggatt is his only friend aboard the ship. The narrator also insists on referring to Leggatt as his "double," which really makes you wonder whether Leggatt is a total figment of his imagination. But that can't be, right? After all, the crew from the Sephora came looking for him.
- As the days pass, the captain learns to dread the sight of the steward coming to bring him his meals. He feels like there's a sword over his head that could fall at any second.
- He also knows that the crew has noticed how agitated he's been lately. They all seem to assume that he's going crazy, and maybe he is.
- One day, the steward goes into the narrator's chambers while the narrator is eating. The narrator assumes everything will be fine because Leggatt is hiding in the bathroom. But when he hears the bathroom door open, he knows that it's all over. There's nowhere Leggatt could possibly hide.
- But the steward comes back without any commotion. The narrator takes the opportunity to say he'll turn in for the evening and that he doesn't want to be disturbed.
- Once inside his chambers, he finds Leggatt, who says that he was able to hide behind the bathroom door. All the steward had to do was turn his head to see Leggatt, but he never did…apparently.
- Once he's alone with the captain again, Leggatt admits that there's no way he can resume his life back in Britain without risk of being caught. The only option is for him to swim for the nearest Pacific island and try to find a way to live. The narrator protests, but eventually agrees to do it the following night. He'll pull the ship as close to the nearest land as he can, so that Leggatt will have a fair chance of making shore.
- Back on deck, the captain shouts for his men to change the ship's course and take it closer to the nearby islands. This order makes no sense to them, and the captain can hear them silently judging him. The chief mate even protests a little, saying that they run a huge risk of wrecking if they get too close to the islands in the middle of the night. But this is exactly what the captain needs to do to give Leggatt the best chance at survival.
- With one last visit to his chambers, the narrator gives Leggatt a rope to lower himself into the sea without a splash. The narrator regrets to say that he won't be with Leggatt when he leaves. He needs to be up on deck making sure that the boat doesn't hit any reefs.
- The narrator creates a diversion with his steward while Leggatt slips down the hallway to the place where he'll jump off the ship. The narrator also gives him some money tied up in a handkerchief, just in case Leggatt comes to a town. He also gives Leggatt his white hat, since he knows the Pacific sun will cause brutal burns on Leggatt's head if the guy doesn't have a hat.
- The narrator goes back on deck and commands his crew to sail their ship closer and closer toward a nearby island. The narrator is even terrified when a black mountain from the island rises in the night sky and looms over the ship. He knows that he is risking the lives of everyone aboard the ship, and they all know it too. They can only assume he's crazy, though he insists that he's trying to catch some wind coming off the island.
- At the very last second, he tells his men to swing the boat away from the island. The boat barely makes it away.
- As he looks back over the rear of the boat, the narrator sees his white hat floating in the water. It's the last trace he ever sees of Leggatt.
- And they all lived happily ever after?