“Now we come to the next matter. The attempt of the prisoners to capture the Renown. You were by this time acting as first lieutenant of the ship, Mr. Bush?”
“Yes, sir.”
Step by step Bush was taken through the events of that night. He was responsible under Buckland for the arrangements made for guarding and feeding the prisoners. There were fifty women, wives of the prisoners, under guard in the midshipmen’s berth. Yes, it was difficult to supervise them as closely as the men. Yes, he had gone his rounds after pipedown. Yes, he had heard a disturbance. And so on. “And you were found lying among the dead, unconscious from your wounds?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bush.”
A freshfaced young captain at the end of the table asked a question.
“And all this time Captain Sawyer was confined to his cabin, until he was murdered?”
The president interposed.
“Captain Hibbert, Mr. Buckland has already enlightened us regarding Captain Sawyer’s indisposition.”
There was annoyance in the glance that the president of the court turned upon Captain Hibbert, and light suddenly dawned upon Bush. Sawyer had a wife, children, friends, who would not desire that any attention should be called to the fact that he had died insane. The president of the court was probably acting under explicit orders to hush that part of the business up. He would welcome questions about it no more than Bush himself would, now that Sawyer was dead in his country’s cause. Buckland could not have been very closely examined about it either. His unhappy look must be due to having to describe his inglorious part in the attempt on the Renown.