Lessing without any formal request to speak rushed in with, "Not necessarily The accident could have occurred anywhere – off the harbour edge, off a gangplank It could equally have occurred crossing the road You can't wall boys up behind plate glass All living is dangerous The school has always taken every possible care of the boys Its degree of contractual care has always been of the highest "
The coroner stopped him "We're trying to determine why the child died in that particular way He spoke to Thirza "We know through hindsight that the uncovered hatch was dangerous Do you want Mr Brannigan to answer you, or was your question rhetorical?"
Thirza said crisply, "I'm sorry if I was pointing out the obvious There was danger A child died "
"Have you any other question for this witness?"
"No, sir "
Brannigan stepped down and Hammond took the stand Brannigan under pressure had become a headmaster with an anaesthetised conscience Now that the pressure was relaxed he felt the blood rushing in He couldn't assess the degree of his own responsibility Now, at this moment, it seemed total The words a child died thrummed through his mind like an unsteady pulse beat Hammond under pressure was a great deal less than calm His hands on the witness box were clenched fists of controlled aggression The coroner handled him carefully "The main function of an enquiry of this kind isn't to apportion blame but to establish facts Tell us in your own words what happened from the time you boarded the Mariana until you became aware of the child's fall "
The hot afternoon sun shining through the green curtains highlighted the sheen of sweat on Hammond's forehead He looked around(the courtroom and saw Fleming He spoke his evidence, looking at him "I boarded the ship with eight boys The three young ones stayed with me all the time, they were never out of my sight The five older ones – including David Fleming – were given jobs to do in different parts of the freighter. It was understood that they would stay at their posts and get on with the job The ship wasn't a playground My discipline isn't lax David Fleming was to have stayed on the poop deck and sketched the rudder machinery It seemed to me reasonable that he should stay there without my mounting a guard over him My eight-year-olds might conceivably have fooled around the hatch and fallen in I credited a twelve-year-old with more sense "
Ml
Fleming half rose in anger and then sat again as the coroner quickly interposed "Just stay with the facts, Mr Hammond and I'd be obliged if you'd look at me as you speak "
"I beg your pardon "
"Carry on "
"During the hour or so before the accident I took the three younger boys to the bridge and supervised them while they did some sketching there During this period I took them to the engine-room Stonley, one of the older boys, was there and I wanted to see how he was getting on with his work on the engines His was the most complicated task and I felt he needed the help I then returned to the upper deck with the three young lads They wanted to see inside one of the lifeboats and I had just lifted them in when " he looked across at Fleming again and some of the brusque-ness left his voice, "I heard David scream " His armpits were suddenly sour with sweat and he moved uncomfortably. "I didn't know what had happened – or how serious it was I couldn't leave the three young boys in the lifeboat, so I had to get them out before investigating " He looked towards the window "It's damnably airless in here "
The coroner let his sympathy show "It was a shocking experience! know how painful it is for you to have to go over it again Are you feeling unwell?"
"No I'm perfectly well It's just a very hot June da) and those curtains don't do much to keep the sun out "
The coroner nodded to one of the police officers who went and opened the slats If fresh air came in, it wasn't perceptible Fleming thought savagely, Bring on the sal-volatile -• bring him a recliner – cosset him – tell him how good and reliable he is wrap his bleeding conscience in bandage' and send him home He felt a heavy sense of defeat Hammond, on the face of it, was blameless The coroner prompted him "You heard the boy cry out. You got the three small boys out of the lifeboat And then?"
"Another of the older boys – Masters – was in the captain's cabin which was nearby I told Masters to keep an eye on the young ones while I went to investigate. Masters, himself, hadn't heard anything The only lad who had heard the cry was Durrant He was in the open air, on the fo'c'sle deck He arrived at the hatch fractionally before I did "
"What was the time lapse between the shout and your arrival on the scene?"
"A matter of minutes – three – four – perhaps five '
The coroner addressed Thirza "The evidence about the drawing was largely conjectural At this stage of the inquest we're dealing with facts As Mr Fleming's legal representative I don't want you to feel you're being restricted in any way If you want to confer with Mr Fleming on any point – then please do "
"Thank you, sir, but Mr Fleming and I had a full discussion before coming to court "
"Have you a question to ask this witness?''
"Please Mr Hammond, wouldn't you say five minutes was an unreasonably long time before you went to investigate?"
Hammond's adrenalin flowed even faster in the face of a new enemy A good-looking, suave, elegant little bitch "I didn't time myself with a stop-watch, it could have been less "
"When you heard the child cry out, how did you know which child screamed?"
"There was only one child in the region of the poop deck "
"Where the open hatch was?"
"Near where the open hatch was "
"When you arrived did you go directly to the poop deck or did you look down the hatch into the hold?"
"I looked down the hatch into the hold."
"You thought it probable that David had fallen down it?"
Hammond, aware of gin traps under soft undergrowth, trod warily. "Durrant – the older boy – was already there. He indicated that David had fallen."
"Indicated? Could you tell me more clearly what you mean? Did he say 'David has fallen down the hold' or 'I saw David falling down the hold'…?"
"I don't remember. I can't see that it matters what he said – or didn't say."
"There is rudder machinery on the poop deck. David was supposed to be there on an assignment. The accident could have happened there. You could have been expected to go there directly. The hold itself is fairly dark. If you went directly to the hold expecting to see the child there then you must have had a reason. If the boy, Durrant, told you to look there, then that is a reason. If he didn't, then you must have anticipated the accident. You must have been aware of the danger of the uncovered hatch. If you were and did nothing about it then you failed in your contractual duty of care."
Lessing was on his feet. "I don't like your imputations."
The coroner, who didn't like them either, liked Lessing's interruption even less. He told him to sit again. "Answer Miss Crayshaw's question, Mr. Hammond. Were you aware of the danger of the open hatch?"
"No, sir. If I had been I wouldn't have set the lad's assignment so near it."
"You wouldn't have gone directly to it if young Durrant hadn't made it plain to you that the child had fallen there?"
"No."'.
"And you can't remember Durrani's words?"
"No."
"That's understandable. When you realised the child had fallen down the hatch into the hold, what did you do?"
Hammond felt the salt of sweat on his lips. It was caking at the corner of his mouth. He didn't want to remember the hold – or the climb down into it. He tried to disassociate the mental image from the words, but with no success. The words came out painfully.