From Squire Barker it was brought out, as in the testimony of the colonel, the fact that after Harvey and his crew in the yacht Surprise had suddenly set sail on the very morning of the fire, they had not been seen nor heard of since. This, the squire admitted, was common knowledge throughout the village.
Then there came to the stand Captain Sam, standing awkwardly, with a hard clutch on the rail in front of him, as if he were afraid of the court-house suddenly dipping and rolling on a breaker and spilling him overboard.
No, he had no objection to removing his tobacco in deference to the Court, and did so; but forgot that august presence before he had been testifying long, and took another and a bigger chew.
Did he know the accused?
Reckoned he did, with a haw-haw that shook the court-room.
Had he pursued them in his sloop the Nancy Jane, in an endeavour to serve the warrants?
He had, and they worked their boat like sailors, if he did say it.
“And were you assisted in your pursuit by Colonel Witham and Squire Brackett?”
“Assisted!” drawled Captain Sam, and grinning from ear to ear. “Well, I dunno how much assisting you’d be pleased to call it, being as they were sick as a boy that had eaten a peck of green apples, and was sprawling around in the bottom of the boat like a couple of halibut just catched.”
Which, being pronounced by Captain Sam with the utmost gravity, produced such a decided impression on the audience of fisher-people and sailor-folk, that there was a roar throughout the court-room, at which His Honour announced that any such further interruption would be followed by the clearing of the room.