The After House - Page 54/108

After that, however, he suddenly felt strange. He thought he had

been doped, and told the helmsman so. He asked Jones to strike the

bell for him, and, going up on the forecastle head, lay down on the

boards and fell asleep. He did not waken until he heard six bells

struck--three o'clock. And, before he had fully roused, I had

called him.

"Then," I said, "when the lookout saw you with the axe, you were

replacing it?"

"Yes."

"The lookout says you were not on deck between two and three o'clock."

"How does he know? I was asleep."

"You had threatened to get the captain."

"I had a revolver; I didn't need to use an axe."

Much as I disliked the man, I was inclined to believe his story,

although I thought he was keeping something back. I leaned forward.

"Singleton," I said, "if you didn't do it, and I want to think you

did not,--who did?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"We have women aboard. We ought to know what precautions to take."

"I wasn't the only man on deck that night. Burns was about, and

he had a quarrel with the Hansen woman. Jones was at the wheel, too.

Why don't you lock up Jones?"

"We are all under suspicion," I admitted. "But you had threatened

the captain."

"I never threatened the girl, or Mr. Vail."

I had no answer to this, and we both fell silent. Singleton was the

first to speak:-"How are you going to get back? The men can sail a course, but who

is to lay it out? Turner? No Turner ever knew anything about a

ship but what it made for him."

"Turner is sick. Look here, Singleton, you want to get back as much

as we do, or more. Wouldn't you be willing to lay a course, if you

were taken out once a day? Burns is doing it, but he doesn't pretend

to know much about it, and--we have the bodies."

But he turned ugly again, and refused to help unless he was given

his freedom, and that I knew the crew would not agree to.

"You'll be sick enough before you get back!" he snarled.