Finally, Kabuo speaks in his own defense in Chapters 27 and 28. Employing the same technique he used with other characters, Guterson uses flashback to develop Kabuo's character and to narrate events from his point of view.
Kabuo remembers lying to Sheriff Moran during the murder investigation and also remembers lying to Nels Gudmundsson. Nels convinces Kabuo to tell the truth before Kabuo is given the sheriff's report to read; that way, if all the details are consistent, Nels will be able to believe Kabuo. When enticing Kabuo to talk, Nels acknowledges the fact that it is probably difficult to trust the government that treated the Japanese so terribly, but without the truth, Nels wouldn't be able to defend Kabuo, and then Kabuo might be hanged.
Kabuo remembered the foggy night in question, how he almost didn't fish near the shipping lanes for fear of being disoriented and risking an accident. He was having a successful evening when he heard first an air horn and then a familiar voice state, "I'm over here. . . . I'm dead in the water, drifting." The fisherman was Carl Heine.
With dead batteries because of a loose alternator connection, Carl could do nothing but wait and see where he drifted. Kabuo was the first man to come along, and he offered Carl the use of one of his own batteries. Because Carl used a different size battery than Kabuo, Carl used Kabuo's gaff to hammer the flange that was in the battery well and prevented the new battery from fitting. Carl bloodied his own hand while using the gaff.
