There was nothing said by any of our company, which could, in any manner, prejudice our cause; and there was hope, yet, that we should be able to return to our homes--if for nothing else, at least to find out the guilty man or woman who had betrayed us.
To this end, we all denied that we had been guilty of intended flight.
Master Thomas said that the evidence he had of our intention to run away, was strong enough to hang us, in a case of murder.

"But," said I, "the cases are not equal.

If murder were committed, some one must have committed it--the thing is done! In our case, nothing has been done! We have not run away.

Where is the evidence against us?
We were quietly at our work." I talked thus, with unusual freedom, to bring out the evidence against us, for we all wanted, above all things, to know the guilty wretch who had betrayed us, that we might have something tangible upon which to pour the execrations.

From something which dropped, in the course of the talk, it appeared that there was but one witness against us--and that that witness could not be produced.