Have you been at sea yourself?—Some years.
How long have you left the sea?—About four years.
Did you see any false tops, any covers for the tops of cabins?—False tops, yes; all the bed places were false tops.
Just tell us what you mean by false tops?—A vacancy between the deck and the lining.
Was there any opening to them?—Yes.
Just describe it?—About four inches I suppose, so as to enable any thing to be stowed away there.
When it was stowed away, was it possible to be seen to be stowed away, or concealed?—No; it was concealed.
Mr. Justice Maule. All the bed places you say were with false tops?—What they call lined, between the deck and the lining, leaves a vacancy.
Mr Serjeant Bompas. Was there any thing to open or shut? Will you describe how anything could be put in?—A piece of, I do not know what you call it, a piece of furniture came over the facing.
Do you know what is the moulding?—A kind of moulding, and there was this vacancy.