"Something like that, yes. He said that his own boots were worn out." Which James doesn't really disbelieve, and which only makes this all a bit more frustrating. "Considering the state our clothing had ended up in, even sharing and trading amongst each other, it would come as little surprise that he and his company may have been in need."

He remembers how Francis had left food and other supplies behind at Terror Camp for the mutineers, and James is trying to find that same grace when it comes to this, but although he can do so when it comes to the simple pragmatism--the boots themselves hardly matter--it's just... It's strange.