"Yes."
"I don't believe it."
"It is true, nevertheless."
"Name the men," growled Bumstead. He was suffering considerably, yet he still had some fight in him.
For reply two of the deckhands were called in, and each, after much urging, told his story in detail.
"That ain't true," growled the mate, but his voice sounded weak and uncertain.
"It is true," cried one of the men. Bumstead had treated him roughly the day previous, and he was glad of a chance to "square accounts."
"So it is—every word," put in the second deckhand who had been summoned.
"You are all against me," muttered the mate. "It's a plot, I reckon."
"No plot at all," cried Captain Turton. "We are simply bound to get at the bottom of this affair."