That brought the captain short with a round turn, baffled. He was determined to show his authority, somehow, anyhow. He rounded on the mate, would have sent him to his berth under arrest, but for the eyes of the seamen clustered forward. Here was menace, a low muttering not to be disregarded. This was their affair, a fight between two shipmates, and all hands were determined to see fair play.
Knowing his business thoroughly, he dared not be less than master. He was bound to dominate these men, or all of them would treat him with contempt, as unfit to command a ship. He must make some example, and as it happened Silas claimed attention. He was yelling, "I charge that man. I charge that man with murder!"
The captain and all hands had seen him attempting to knife the youngster. The Yorkshireman, grinning broadly, held out the weapon. The bos'n with a broad paw attempted in vain to mask a snort of joy. Auld Jock, suspecting the savor of a joke cried, "Haec mon! Wha's murdering ye? Wullie? Aye, mannie!" Even the captain, angry as he was, joined his bleak smile to the general roar of laughter. But the Yankee held his ground, defying all of them, pointing his accusation. "I guess," he said in his high nasal drawl, slowly, venomously, "the joke is on this man's father and mother, murdered! And there," he pointed to the paper which the mate still held, "is proof it ain't my joke."
The mate gave the paper to Captain Home. "You'd better read this, if you will, sir."
The captain read, but did not grasp the issue until the mate explained coincidence of dates, the description which identified the murderer as Bill Fright, the verdict of a jury, the warrant out. Cold, stiff, official, Home saw no demerit in this newspaper which dared to presume the guilt of an untried man. He looked at the accused, and in disgust sneered at him, contemptuous, disdainful. "Murdered your parents, eh?"
Bill turned on Silas, and in the same level voice, quiet, incisive, he said that all might hear, "Sneaked on your shipmate, eh? Sneaked on a shipmate!" He spat in the man's face. "Cur!"
Americans have a code of honor not less manful or more loosely held than the British, but it is different. The American code is one of an extraordinary chivalry towards women, children, all who are unarmed, defenseless, weak, but has no trace of mercy on any incompetence or false pretenses. Silas attacked a bargee pretending to be a seaman, and under a purser's name. But his method of attack struck at the roots of the British code the honor of the sportsman who plays the game to the death, but neither explains, nor complains, nor carries tales. Anybody is liable to lose his temper, and in the heat of anger, without the least intent of homicide, to kill. Silas himself had but this moment attempted a comrade's life. So much was readily forgiven, but he had sneaked to the mate, and for that there could be no pardon. So Bill was put in irons, and consigned to a cupboard known as the "bos'n's locker." He was now the pet of the ship's company. He might be innocent of parricide, or guilty, as time and a fair trial would bring to proof, but he was victim of a sneak. No officer or man on board the Beaver spoke to Silas after that, off duty, nor was there conversation in his presence.
As to the captain, he had his consolations. Whenever, as in this example, he made an all-round ass of himself, he "logged" the mate with entry in the ship's log book that Mr. Dodd had used insubordinate language (signed) D. Home. There are many such entries in the oldtime manuscript volume, and, if I remember rightly, Mr. Dodd did not always limit himself to the use of appropriate language. Reading between the lines, I suspect that at times he kicked his commanding officer down the companion ladder. Two years later, when Captain Home was drowned in the Columbia River, Dodd took the command, and his log books are quite free from any trace of peevishness.
Did Captain Home propose to relinquish the services of an able-bodied man? Did he expect Bill to be a prisoner in that cupboard rounding Cape Horn and to survive the voyage? Was the captain likely to get the prisoner transferred to a man-o'-war or to a magistrate in British territory this side of Oregon?
"Then," asked the mate, "why keep my watch short-handed, sir? I'll answer for him that he don't jump overboard."