CHAPTER XVIII
A SEA COURT
"Mr. Rogers, take the deck!" commanded Captain Hamilton sharply. "Youbullies, get forward with you!" he added to the curious men of thewatch. "Don't any of you lose sight of the fact that if it were aseaman instead of a passenger who attacked Mr. Ditty, he'd be in thechain-locker now.
"Drew, you and Tyke come below with me. When you've washed your face,Mr. Ditty, I want to see you there too. Mr. Rogers!"
"Aye, aye, sir!" responded the second officer, smartly.
"Pass the word forward. Has anybody seen Mr. Parmalee or does any ofthem know personally what's happened to him? No second-hand tales,mind you."
"Aye, aye, sir."
With all his rage and confusion of mind, Drew realized that easy-going,peace-loving Captain Hamilton had suddenly become another and entirelydifferent being.
Even Ruth descried no softness in her father's countenance now. Shenoted that his eye sparkled dangerously. He waved her before him, andshe fled down the companionway steps ahead of Drew and Grimshaw.
"Now, what's all this about?" the master of the _Bertha Hamilton_demanded, facing Drew across the cabin table.
"Oh, Father!" gasped Ruth. "That--that--Mr. Ditty says Mr. Parmalee ismurdered and that Allen did it!"
"That's neither here nor there," said the captain sternly. "I don'tbelieve that any more than you do. But what is this between Ditty andMr. Drew? They went at each other like two bulldogs that have nursed agrudge for a year.
"Now, I want to know what it means, Drew. I heard--Ruth told me--ofthe little run-in you had with Ditty the day you first met my daughteron the Jones Lane pier," pursued Captain Hamilton. "Ruth was carryinga letter to Captain Peters for me. The _Normandy_ is bound for HongKong, where I'd just come from, and Peters and I have mutual friendsout there. I forgot something I wanted Ruth to tell Captain Peters,and I asked Ditty, who had shore leave, to waylay her and give her mymessage. She'd never seen Ditty, and he startled her. He isn't abeauty, I admit. But now, what happened after that between you two,Drew?"
"Nothing at all that day," said the young man promptly. "But anotherday I was over there, at the _Normandy_, to see--er--Captain Peters,and this fellow showed up half drunk and gave me the dirty side of histongue. I knocked him down."
"Seems to me you're mighty sudden with your fists," growled CaptainHamilton.
"And Mr. Grimshaw can tell you something about Ditty, too," Drew began;but the master of the schooner stopped him.
"Never mind about that. We're discussing your affair with Ditty. I'vegot to judge between you two. I'm judge, jury, and hangman in thiscase--until we make some port where there's a consul, at least. Now,here's the mate. No more fighting, remember or I'll take a hand in itmyself."
The battered Ditty stumbled down the cabin steps. He could scarcelysee out of his single eye; but that eye glittered malevolently when itfell upon Allen Drew.
"Sit down, Mr. Ditty," said the captain evenly. "We've got to get tothe bottom of this business. You've said something, Mr. Ditty, that'sgot to go down on the log--and it's going to make you a peck of troubleif you don't prove it. You understand that?"
"I know it," snarled Ditty, through his puffed lips. "He done it."
"You lying hound!" muttered Drew.
Captain Hamilton ignored this. He said:
"What makes you say that Mr. Drew flung Mr. Parmalee overboard?"
"Because I seen him do it," answered Ditty.
Drew started for the mate again, but Tyke held him back.
"Go ahead, Mr. Ditty. Tell your story," commanded the captain curtly.
"They was both standin' abaft the mizzen," the mate began, "and I heard'em quarrelin' about something. I went there, thinkin' to stop 'em ifit was anything serious, and jest as I got near 'em I seen Mr. Parmaleeup and hit Mr. Drew on the head with his cane. Then, before you couldsay Jack Robinson, Mr. Drew picked up Mr. Parmalee as if he had been ababy and threw him over the rail."
There was a stifled murmur from the group.
"Why didn't you give the alarm and lower a boat?" asked the captain.
"I was goin' to, but Mr. Drew turned round and saw me. He whipped agun out of his pocket and swore he'd shoot me if I gave the alarm orsaid a word. He held me under the point of his gun till it was toolate to lower a boat, and only let me go after I promised him I'd keepmum about the hull thing."
"You're a fine sailorman," charged the captain bitterly, "to let a mandrown without doing anything to help him! Why didn't you take achance?"
"He had the drop on me," mumbled the mate.
The captain turned to Drew.
"What about it?" he asked.
"Do I have to deny such a yarn?" the young man burst out hotly. "Whatcan I say except that this infernal scoundrel is lying? The wholeridiculous story is as new to me as it is to you. The last time I sawMr. Parmalee was when he was standing beside me on the deck last night.I never laid a finger on him!"
"Where were you standing?" asked the captain.
"Just where Ditty says I was," replied Drew frankly. "That part of thestory is true. And it's the only thing in it that is true."
"Did you have any unfriendly words with Mr. Parmalee?"
"Not a word," was the answer.
"Ask him if he ever had any quarrel with him afore that," snarled themate.
"I know all about that," replied the captain sharply. "I was theremyself. It was just a little misunderstanding, and it blew over in aminute."
"Ev'ry one on board knows there was bad blood 'twixt 'em," put in themate, "and they come pretty nigh to guessin' the reason for it, too,"he added with a leering glance at Ruth.
"Stop, you dog!" shouted the captain in sudden rage. "If you sayanother word along that line I'll knock you down!"
The mate took a step backward, and mumbled an apology.
"Go on, Drew," ordered the captain. "When did you lose sight of Mr.Parmalee?"
"I slipped on the deck and struck my head on the corner of thehatch-cover. Mr. Parmalee was with me at the time. I lost my sensesfrom the blow, and when I came to, Parmalee wasn't there. I rememberthinking it strange that he hadn't helped me when I fell, but I wasdizzy and confused and soon forgot about it. If I thought of him atall, it was to suppose that he had gone to his room. I fully expectedto see him at the breakfast table this morning, and I was as muchsurprised as you were when he didn't turn up."
His story was told so frankly and simply that it carried conviction.But Ditty still had a card up his sleeve. He went over to the opencompanion-way.
"Give me that cane, Bill," he called to a sailor standing at a littledistance.
The man obeyed, and a thrill went through the group as they recognizedit as having belonged to Lester Parmalee. Ruth was making a strongeffort for self-control.
"Look at the blood-stains on this cane," said Ditty triumphantly, as hehanded it over to the captain.
There were, in truth, dark red stains on the end of the cane, standingout clearly in contrast with the light oak color of the stick itself.
"That's where the cut on Mr. Drew's head come from, jest as I says,"proclaimed Ditty.
"And what's more," he went on, "there ain't any blood on the edge ofthe hatch cover."
"No, there wouldn't be," muttered Tyke, "for the deck was washed downthis morning, of course."
"Do you own a pistol, Drew?" asked Captain Hamilton, after a painfulpause.
"Yes," admitted the accused man. "I have an automatic. It's in mystateroom now. But I haven't carried it since I came on board theship. I didn't have it on me last night."
The captain mused for a moment in evident perplexity.
"Well," he said, rising to his feet, "that's all, Mr. Ditty. I'llthink this over and figure out what it's best to do."
"Ain't you goin' to put him in irons?" asked the mate truculently.
"That's none of your business," snapped the master of the schooner."I'm captain of this craft, a
nd I'll do as I think best. You arerelieved from duty for the present. Lord man! but you're a sight."
Ditty wavered as though some impudent reply were forming on his tongue;but he thought better of it beneath the steady gaze of the captain'seyes and turned to go. He could not, however, forbear a parting shot.
"You can see from the way he went at me what a savage temper he's got,"he said. "He'd 've killed me if he could 've. And if he'd do that tome for what I said, what would 've stopped his doin' it to a man whohad already hit him?"
"That'll do, Mr. Ditty!" snapped the captain again.
Tyke left no doubt as to where he stood. Out of respect for thecaptain, he had left the inquiry entirely in his hands, but now hehobbled over to Drew and clapped him vigorously on the shoulder.
"Brace up, my boy!" he exclaimed. "I don't know jest what the motiveof that swab is, but I know he was lying from first to last." Ruth wassobbing, and could not speak, but her little hand stole into the youngman's, and he grasped it convulsively.
"I can't believe that you did it either, Drew," declared the captain;but there was a lack of heartiness in his tone that Drew was quick todetect. "I'll have to look into the whole matter as carefully as Iknow how. Parmalee's disappearance must be accounted for. All we knownow is that he isn't to be found. I'll have the ship searched, but Ihave little doubt but the poor fellow has gone overboard. In itselfthat doesn't prove anything. He may have fallen over. But we can'tget away from the fact that one man says he knows how Parmalee came tohis death. He may be lying. I think he is. I hope to God he is. Butthe whole matter will have to be taken up by the proper authorities assoon as we get back to New York."
Drew's brain reeled. He saw himself in a court of justice, on trialfor his life, charged with a horrible crime that he had no means ofrefuting, except by his own unsupported denial. And even if he wereacquitted, the black cloud of suspicion would hang over him forever.
"But I'm going to believe you're innocent until I'm forced to believethe contrary," continued the captain; "and God help Ditty if I findhe's been lying!"
"He is lying," protested Drew passionately. "I never dreamed ofinjuring Parmalee. Did I act like a murderer last night when you boundup my head, Ruth?"
"No! no!" sobbed the girl.
"Did I act like a murderer at the table this morning?" Drew continued,conscious that he was proving nothing, but clutching eagerly at everystraw.
"You're no more a murderer than I am!" almost shouted Tyke, moved tothe depth by Drew's distress.
"You're going to have the benefit of every doubt, my boy," the captainassured him soothingly. "But now you'd better go to your room and tryto pull yourself together. We're all upset, and talking won't do usany good until we've got something else to go on. But you have got topromise me that you'll leave Ditty alone."
"I'll leave him alone if he leaves me alone."
"That is all I ask. I'll warn him to keep away from you."
Drew released Ruth's hand. She threw herself on her father's breast,and the young man groped his way to his room. Once there, he sat downand tried to face calmly the terrible indictment that had been madeagainst him.
He did not delude himself as to the bits of circumstantial evidencethat might be used to piece out that indictment to make it plausible.
What was Ditty's motive? He racked his brain in vain to find it.There was, to be sure, the row upon the pier, but that had been only atrifle, and the world would never believe that for anything like that aman would swear away the life of another.
The previous quarrel between him and Lester Parmalee seemed toestablish the fact that there was bad blood between them. There wasthe cut upon his head, received at the very time that Parmaleedisappeared. There were the blood stains on the cane, carrying theinference that that stick in the hand of Parmalee had inflicted hiswound. He owned a revolver, which would bear out Ditty's statementthat the mate had been intimidated by it. Then there was his ownsavage attack on Ditty, which showed his hot and impetuous temper.
He groaned as he saw what could be made of all these things in thehands of a clever district attorney. He could see the picture thatwould be drawn for the benefit of the jury. The old, old story--abeautiful woman with two young and ardent suitors; one quarrel alreadyhaving occurred; a meeting in the dark; a renewal of the quarrel; anattack by the weaker with a cane; the blow that turned the strongerinto a maddened beast and prompted him to grasp his frail rival andthrow him into the sea. What was more possible? What was moreprobable? Jealousy had caused thousands of similar tragedies in thehistory of the world.
And when to these damaging circumstances was added the testimony of adeclared eye-witness who seemed to have no sufficient reason for lying,what would the jury do?
Drew shuddered, and his soul turned sick within him.
And Ruth! He ground his teeth in rage at the thought of her name beingdragged into the terrible story, as it certainly would be.
Even supposing that he should be given the benefit of the doubt anddischarged, his life would be utterly wrecked. He could not ask her toshare the life of a man who the world would believe owed his escapefrom the penitentiary to luck rather than to his innocence. Even ifshe were willing, he could not ask her to link her life with his.
All through that day and part of the next, he lived in an inferno. Bytacit consent, the members of the party refrained from talking of theone thing about which all were thinking. When they met, they spoke ofindifferent matters, but there was a hideous feeling of restraint thatcould not be dispelled, and gloom hung over them like a pall.
The morning of the second day, as they were cruising about in thelongitude and latitude indicated by the map, the voice of the lookoutresounded from the masthead.
"Land ho!"
"Where away?" shouted Rogers, who chanced to be officer of the deck.
"Three points on the weather bow," was the answer.
Rogers reported instantly to the captain, who came rushing on deck,followed by the other members of the party.
The captain adjusted his binoculars and looked hard and long at a blackspeck rising from the waves. Finally he dropped the glass.
"The hump of the whale!" he announced.