"At the wheel."
"You did not leave the wheel during that time?"
"Yes, sir."
"When was that?"
"After they found the captain's body. I went to the forward companion and looked down."
"Is a helmsman permitted to leave his post?"
"With the captain lying dead down in a pool of blood, I should think-"
"Never mind thinking. Is he?"
"No."
"What did you do with the wheel when you left it?"
"Lashed it. There are two rope-ends, with loops, to lash it with. When I was on the Sarah Winters—"
"Stick to the question. Did you see the mate, Mr. Singleton, during your watch?"
"Every half-hour from 12.30 to 1.30. He struck the bells. After that he said he was sick. He thought he'd been poisoned. He said he was going forward to lie down, and for me to strike them."
"Who struck the bell at three o'clock?"
"I did, sir."
"When did you hear a woman scream?"
"Just before that."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing. It was the Hansen woman. I didn't like her. She was a bad woman. When I told her what she was, she laughed."
"Were you ever below in the after house?"
"No, sir; not since the boat was fixed up."
"What could you see through the window beside the wheel?"
"It looked into the chart-room. If the light was on, I could see all but the floor."
"Between the hours of 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., did any one leave or enter the after house by the after companion?"
"Yes, sir. Mr. Singleton went down into the chart-room, and came back again in five or ten minutes."
"At what time?"
"At four bells—two o'clock."
"No one else?"
"No, sir; but I saw Mr. Turner—"
"Confine yourself to the question. What was Mr. Singleton's manner at the time you mention?"
"He was excited. He brought up a bottle of whiskey from the chart-room table, and drank what was left in it. Then he muttered something, and threw the empty bottle over the rail. He said he was still sick."
The cross-examination confined itself to one detail of Charlie Jones's testimony.
"Did you, between midnight and 3 A.M., see any one in the chart-room besides the mate?"
"Yes—Mr. Turner."
"You say you cannot see into the chart-room from the wheel at night. How did you see him?"
"He turned on the light. He seemed to be looking for something."
"Was he dressed?"
"Yes, sir."
"Can you describe what he wore?"
"Yes, sir. His coat was off. He had a white shirt and a white vest."
