urred."

The witness related briefly the incidents leading up to the escape of
the two ordinary seamen.

"You discovered them going over the side of the ship, did you not?"

"Yes sir."

"Did you try to stop them?"

"I did."

"On whose orders?"

"On the orders of the officer of the deck, sir."

"Midshipman Carter?"

"Yes, sir."

"State what occurred."

"I followed them, and after a time succeeded in overhauling the dinghy
in which they were rowing away. I ordered them to surrender when I
drew alongside. Black attempted to strike me with the boat hook, but I
got it away from him. Black later hit me with an oar, at about the
time I rammed them with the starboard dinghy."

"Well, what else?"

"Not much, sir. We mixed it up a little. I got Black, but I had a
hard time with White. He almost got the better of me. I am not quite
sure that he did not do so wholly."

Dan had related his story in a simple, straight-forward manner, without
the slightest trace of bravado. He really had done a plucky thing in
attempting to capture the two men in a frail boat out on the rolling
waters, but he did not seem to think he had accomplished anything very
remarkable.

"Did either man attempt to do more than defend himself?"

"Well, it seemed so to me, sir," answered the Battleship Boy, with a
faint smile.

"Use a knife or anything of that sort?"

"Black appeared to be seeking to get at his knife. Of course I could
not say for sure, sir."

"Did either man say anything?"

"Not that I can recall now, sir, except that they refused to surrender
to me."

"You did not hear them say anything that would lead you to believe that
they were deserting?"

"Oh, no, sir."

"You can think of nothing else that will aid us in getting at the facts
in this case?"

"No, sir. I have told you all I know about it."

"Very good; that will be all."

Black, who was believed to be the leader in the escape, was called up
and given permission to relate his side of the story. He assured the
court that neither he nor White had had the least intention of
deserting. They had been on board for a long time. They said they had
a friend not far from where the ship was lying, and they thought they
could get away to go to see him and be back before morning.

Asked the name of the friend, they gave it without the least hesitation.

White also told a straightforward story.

"If you were not deserting, why did you make such a murde