The steward and the stewardess had
searched with the two mates in the saloon or cuddy. Every cabin had
been ransacked, with the willing consent of its occupants. The
forecastle, and 'tween-decks, and steerage, and lazarette had been
minutely overhauled. Every accessible part of the bowels of the ship
had been visited; to no purpose. No stowaway of any sort, no rag of
evidence, or weapon to supply a clue was discovered.
That afternoon we buried the body and I took command of the ship.
I saw nothing of Miss Le Grand for two days. She kept her cabin, and
was seen only by the stewardess, who waited upon her. At the
expiration of that time I received a message, and went at once to her
berth. I never could have figured so striking a change in a fine woman
full of beauty in so short a time, as I now beheld. The fire had died
out of her eyes, and still there lurked something weird in the very
spiritlessness, and dull and vacant sadness of her gaze. Her cheeks
were hollow. Under each eye rested a shadow as though it was cast by a
green leaf.
Her first words were: "Cannot you find out who did it?"
"No, madam. We have tried hard; harder for the captain's sake than had
he been another, for the responsibility that rests upon the master of
an ocean-going vessel makes him an object of mighty significance,
believe me, to us sailors.
Pages:
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147