Why Thomas Bram Was Found Guilty. the brain. His jaw-bones also were broken. As they stood there the first mate said, "Look at the captain — I'd die for him." In each of the three rooms there were marks in the woodwork which looked as if an axe had been swung against it. Spots of blood stained the floors and led to the forward companion way. Then they went up on deck again, and the first mate looking around on them all said, "You will stand by me, boys, won't you?" and tried to shake hands with them. But they would not shake hands with him. The first mate continued to snivel, and the men retired to the forecastle. There Charley Brown lit his pipe, and they waited a while until they felt ready to go on deck again. It was a time of awful uncertainty. Every one in the ship was watching everybody else, and knew that everyone was watching him. Every motion, every look, every word was criticized, and each man gloomily re volved in his memory what he knew of any thing that anyone on board had done during the past night. Purdok and Wassen told Slice that he was suspected. But he had not then begun to suspect the first mate. The first mate at the trial swore upon the stand that he never suspected the passenger. The passenger had not then any suspicion of the first mate. There was more talk among them than can ever be known. To draw testimony from sailors is like fishing in the deep sea. One can get something, but it is not certain exactly where it comes from. The steward made some coffee for the first mate, the passenger and himself. When the men came back on deck every person, in one way or another, disclaimed any knowledge of the killing. The first mate accepted this as indisputable truth and ac cordingly expressed the following cheerful view of the situation: "We musn't blame the living for the dead. The dead can't speak for themselves. We will take the bodies up and throw them overboard and
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wash up the blood." But this was too opti mistic for Henry Slice, who doggedly re sponded, " Us doesn't throw 'em overboard and us doesn't wash up." Likewise, the steward, knowing that the fatal axe was irrecoverably lost in the ocean, said, "No, we will leave them just where they are." The passenger said, " Of course we have got to make the nearest port possible," and he asked the first mate what was the nearest. The first mate replied, French Cayenne, which is a place in French Guiana, in the northeastern part of South America. There was still talk about who killed the people, and what was the best way to take care of the bodies. At last Slice suggested putting them into the jolly-boat. All agreed to this, and the boat was taken from its reg ular place and set on its keel just forward of the mainmast and there lashed. Canvas was wanted to cover the boat with, but it was down in the after house. The steward had gone down there to make some investi gation. No one made a move to go except Charley Brown, who volunteered and went down. The steward gave him abundle of can vas, which he took up to the men. Sewing materials were needed, and the first mate told Charley Brown that the bag of sewing things was in the second mate's room. So Charley went in there and got it, its bottom being soaked with the second mate's blood. He brought them to the men, who sewed the canvas cover. As he brought it up some of the blood was rubbed onto one leg of his trousers. Charley called the attention of the men to this, saying that it might make some people say he did the killing. While the sewing was being done, the first mate suggested to all his shipmates, for there was then no discipline on board, the following theory, and asked the passenger, because of his better literary training, to write it down after they had discussed it, so far as they could discuss it in their excited frame of mind. Accordingly the passenger wrote this re
