He nods, and leans forwards again, closer to Gibbs, shrugging the weariness off by sheer force of will. They are closer in age, these two, than any of the others except possibly for Cotton. Old enough to know, both of them, that willpower and adrenaline and catnaps can only substitute for actual rest for so long.

"That ties in with something I wanted to ask from you, mr Gibbs. Tortuga sounds like a very dangerous place for men of our ilk, whether Cutler Beckett has got what he wanted or not. Surely the East India Company won't leave such a pirate haven alone. But in case we can still get there safely... How many men do you think we would need, in excess of those we already have, to comandeer and man a ship able to take us across the Pacific?"