midnight
Billy , who was placidly eating bananas on the main deck , was at once seized and hoisted over the side into Hayes 's boat , which shoved off , leaving Hayes on board to explain things to Tom . It seemed that when the fat German manager -- the man with spectacles -- I mean the man who had the spectacles until Billy MacLaggan came in -- the man who was courting Mrs. Molly -- fell on the top of the goat , some other man trod on his face , and Leger -LRB- who was not sober enough to tell one person from another -RRB- said that he saw Tom Denison do it . Seven natives , male and female , swore that at the time alleged Tom was out on the beach bathing his crushed toe in the salt water , and using solemn British oaths ; but Leger , who disliked Denison , who had once kicked him overboard violently for being drunk , not only stuck to the story , but said that Hayes and Tom had set the goat on fire on purpose to break up the dance and cause annoyance to the Germans present ; also he vaguely hinted that they , Denison and Hayes , would have driven the seven cows into the ballroom but could n't find them . Then Mrs. MacLaggan promised the fat man to sack Denison on the following morning , and at midnight , as I have said , word was brought in that Billy had been shot . But about ten in the morning Leger heard from some native that the goat was as well as ever , and on board Denison 's vessel , and being a mean , spiteful little hound , off he trotted to the German manager , and said that Captain Hayes and Mr. Denison had rescued the creature . At that very moment the manager was talking to some German officers , one of whom was the man whose watch had been smashed , and as every German in Samoa hated Hayes most fervently , it was at once concluded that Hayes had trained , or suborned , or bribed , or corrupted the goat to do it . So a young lieutenant went and called upon Hayes , and demanded satisfaction for his friend , and Hayes was exceedingly rude to him , but said that if the man with the broken watch liked to meet Billy MacLaggan with his own weapons , and fight him in a goatsmanlike manner , for fifty dollars a side , he -LRB- Hayes -RRB- would put up Billy 's fifty .