“I took him, and giv’ him up; that’s what I done. I not only prevented him getting off the marshes, but I dragged him here, – dragged him this far on his way back.”
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 5. A vengeful Magwitch is determined to see his partner in crime and betrayer Compeyson punished. He tells the soldiers who track them down that he in fact apprehended Compeyson and prevented him escaping off the marshes. Magwitch’s desire for revenge is greater than his wish to escape his own punishment.