Dan'l laughed mirthlessly, "Then we'd best write.... We'd best let Mr.
Brander write his story in the log, sir."
Faith looked at Dan'l steadily; then she turned to her husband. "Noll,"
she said, "you write the log. I'll tell you what to write."
He looked up at her stupidly, not understanding. She got up and opened
the log book and gave him a pen. He protested: "Faith, wait...."
She touched his shoulder lightly with her hand, silencing him. "Write
this," she said; and when Noll took the pen, she dictated: "Some one
gave the men liquor this day; they were drinking in the fo'c's'le. When
Mr. Brander went forward to quiet them...." She saw Noll had fallen
behind with his writing, and waited a moment, then repeated more slowly:
"When Mr. Brander went forward to quiet them, Slatter attacked him with
a knife. In the struggle, Slatter dropped the knife, and a moment later
fell on it, dying from the wound."
She repeated the last sentence a second time, so that Noll got it word
for word; and then she took the log from him, and blotted it, and put it
away. Dan'l Tobey protested:
"Aren't you saying anything about Mauger?"
Faith smiled quietly. "Thank you for reminding me," She opened the log
again, bade Noll write, said slowly: "The man Mauger saved Mr. Brander's
life by tripping Slatter as he charged." Dan'l grimaced as she
finished....
"Now," said Faith, "Slatter was not important; at least he is no longer
important. But there is one thing, Noll, that you must stop.... The
whiskey that went forward...."
Noll looked at her slowly, frowning as though he sought to understand;
Dan'l said:
"That was probably Slatter, stole it. The men say so...."
"He took it forward," Faith agreed. "But he did not get it from the
stores. He could not." She hesitated, her lips white; then she set them
firmly. "Dan'l, fetch Roy here," she said.
Dan'l was so surprised that for an instant he did not stir. "Roy?" he
repeated. "What's he...."
Faith looked to her husband. "Will you tell him to bring Roy?" she
asked.