In Search of the Castaways Book Three Chapter XVIII - A discouraging Confession

In which a formidable man named Ayrton reveals his past misdeeds and proposes a strange bargain, offering information in exchange for exile on a remote island, much to the contemplation of Lord Glenarvan and his companions. Meanwhile, the geographer Paganel unveils a new interpretation of a cryptic document, suggesting that the ill-fated Britannia may have met disaster near New Zealand, prompting somber reflections on the fate of Captain Grant.