"These are desperate men," I heard him say, "from the ship now in the harbor. They were in the St. Lucia Hotel and were--"
"Yes! Yes!" interrupted the thin magistrate in a voice as sharp as his nose. "But what is the charge? What have they done? Never mind the oration; get to the charge!"
By this time I was wide awake. I suddenly came to a full realization that I was one of those "desperate men" and found myself deeply interested.
"They were inciting riot and rebellion," the sergeant went on, undaunted by the magistrate's impatience. "A boy ran to the police-station and said murders were being done at the hotel. I called out all the police and went there as fast as we could run. Inside the billiard-room were hundreds of whites and blacks, all shouting with their desire for blood. On the billiard-table were two black men trying to kill one another. As I watched, one struck the other. He fell from the table and the crowd cheered.
"Then this man," he went on, pointing at me, "hands money to the man on the table and says, 'You win!' After this he takes money from the other white man"--pointing at Sugden--"and tells him that he is rotten at picking fighters."
"What next? What next?" the magistrate snapped.
"Then the first man demands that more men come and fight," continued the sergeant, "and there was a rush by the blacks to see who could get on the table. Then I brought my men in and arrested them both. Entirely unashamed at being arrested, this man"--again indicating Sugden--"laughs out loud when I say the name of the king!"
It seemed that we were guilty of disturbing the peace and quiet of His Majesty's island of St. Lucia and were very reprehensible characters. The lean magistrate regarded us with severe eye, and I am not surprised that he looked at us with suspicion. The voyage had not improved our looks much and we had come ashore in much-worn "ducks." In fact, we must have looked like a couple of beach-combers.
"You have heard the charge?" he snapped at us. "Guilty or not guilty?"
We were as guilty as could be, of course. Therefore we answered in one voice:
The magistrate raised his eyebrows at our effrontery and then cleared his throat again.
"Then you'll have to stand trial," he said. "I shall admit you to bail. Five pounds each!"