gain. The water splashed
down heavily on Cranze's head and shoulders, and the onlookers took
stock of him without a trace of emotion. They had most of them seen the
remedy applied to inebriates before, and so they watched Cranze make his
gradual recovery with the eyes of experts.

"Spell-o," ordered Kettle some five minutes later, and once more the
hose vomited sea water ungracefully into the sea. This time Cranze had
the sense to hold his tongue till he was spoken to. He was very white
about the face, except for his nose, which was red, and his eye had
brightened up considerably. He was quite sober, and quite able to weigh
any words that were dealt out to him.

"Now," said Kettle judicially, "what have you done with Mr. Hamilton?"

"Nothing."

"You deny all knowledge of how he got overboard?"

Cranze was visibly startled. "Of course I do. Is he overboard?"

"He can't be found on this ship. Therefore he is over the side.
Therefore you put him there."

Cranze was still more startled. But he kept himself in hand. "Look
here," he said, "what rot! What should I know about the fellow? I
haven't seen him since last night."

"So you say. But I don't see why I should believe you. In fact, I
don't."

"Well, you can suit yourself about that, but it's true enough. Why in
the name of mischief should I want to meddle with the poor beggar? If
you're thinking of the bit of a scrap we had yesterday, I'll own I was
full at the time. And so must he have been. At least I don't know why
else he should have set upon me like he did. At any rate that's not a
thing a man would want to murder him for."

"No, I should say L20,000 is more in your line."

"What are you driving at?"

"You know quite well. You got that poor fellow insured just before this
trip, you got him to make a will in your favor, and now you've committed
a dirty, clumsy murder just to finger the dollars."

Cranze broke into uncanny hysterical laughter. "That chap insured; that
chap make a will in my favor? Why, he hadn't a penny. It was me that
paid for his passage. I'd been on the tear a bit, and the Jew fellow I
went to about raising the wind did say something about insuring, I know,
and made me sign a lot of law papers. They made out I was in such a
chippy state of health that they'd not let me have any more money unless
I came on some beastly dull sea voyage to recruit a bit, and one of the
conditions was that one of the boys was to come along too and look