“Stand out, Bill Sykes and Dick Todd, and let me hear what you know about this matter.”
Bill Sykes was a landsman, and had soon shown that he was totally unfit for a sailor. Dick Todd had entered as a boy. He was not worth much, and had become a great chum of Sykes’. Still, from the little I had seen of them, I did not think that they would have been guilty of falsely accusing a shipmate. I had therefore little fear of what they could say against me.
I was, however, somewhat startled when they stepped forward, and Sykes, as the eldest, began in a clear way to state that he had seen a man, whom he took to be me, open the door of the purser’s room with a key, and, after being absent for a minute or more, return and lock it. He at once knew this was wrong, so he watched what the man he took to be the thief would next do. He said that he met with Todd, and told him as a friend what he had observed. The thief crept along the deck, and the two then saw him go to his bag and deposit something which he took out of his pockets. Both the men acknowledged that they might be mistaken, but that they thought that it was me.
“What have you got to say to this, Weatherhelm?” asked the captain. “You are accused by the mouths of two witnesses.”
“The accusation is false, sir,” I answered calmly. “I was not long ago at my bag, and I observed neither tobacco nor sugar in it. If you will send for it, you will find that I speak the truth.”
“Very well. Mr Marvel, take a couple of hands with you, and bring up Weatherhelm’s bag,” said the captain, addressing the mate of the lower deck.
I felt very little anxiety during the time the officer was absent, for I was sure that nothing would be found among my things. He soon returned, bringing the bag. It was placed before the captain.
“Open it,” said he. It was opened on deck in sight of all the officers and ship’s company. What was my horror and dismay, to see drawn forth, wrapped up in a shirt, a large lump of tobacco and a paper containing several pounds of sugar! “Now what have you got to say?” asked the captain, turning to me.
“That I have not the slightest notion how those things came into my bag,” was my prompt answer.
“That is the sort of reply people always give when they are found out,” said the captain. “It will not serve your turn, I fear.”