At this point he picked up the pistol and replaced it in his pocket.
‘What was your scheme? Nodder was second mate and carpenter. What you promised him, how you bribed him, I don’t know. He’ll tell me before he dies. But what you did was this: You took an auger from his tool-chest. You and he pierced the skin and side in the lazarette. You plugged the inner skin, hid the auger in my cabin—you found it easily enough afterwards!—took men to listen to the water flowing, brought them into my berth, searched for the auger, charged me with attempting to scuttle the ship, and made a prisoner of me. Was this so?’
Rotch stood listening, with his eyes fixed upon the deck. He made no answer.
‘Marian,’ said Tom, ‘you were present at my trial. You remember how glibly he gave his evidence and answered questions on his oath. Will he take his oath now that his story was true? You Rotch, here stands my friend Bates, who has judged me throughout a wronged man; here stands Miss Johnstone’s cousin, who believes me innocent; here stands that Miss Johnstone about whom I have so often talked to you. They hear me. They will listen to you. Is it true that I attempted to scuttle the Arab Chief?’
‘Bates, Johnstone,’ continued Tom, ‘you see how it is? He swore it on the Bible. He made a felon of me. He ruined my life—broke my heart. He’s mute now. Observe him. Does he fear to speak because I’m armed?’
He whipped the pistol out of his pocket, pointed it down and fired it into the deck.
‘Now, take courage! Speak! Did I attempt to scuttle the Arab Chief, or was the charge yours and Nodder’s conspiracy against me?’
The man, with an ashen face, now folded his arms, but made no reply, keeping his eyes still rooted to the deck.
‘Captain Rotch,’ exclaimed Mr. Bates, ‘it’s clear to my mind—it’s been clear to me all through—that you’ve done this gentleman such a horrible wrong that no fiend could imagine anything worse or more cruel! Act the man now and own to it. Clear him, and by so doing sweeten your own conscience against that call which’ll be coming to you from God sooner or later. You’ll fare less ill by shelling out than by keeping silent. Look, man, how you are in our power!’