I will recall the truth, and can do no more.
I can recall that far-away dawn now as the opening portals of a beautiful morning, although at the time my thought was so closely centered upon other things, the deep blue of the sky, and the glimmering gold of the sun scarcely left an impression on my mind.

It was still early morning when we were brought out under heavy guard, and marched somberly forth through the opened gates of the gaol.

There had been rain during the night, and the cobble-stones of the village street were dark with moisture, slipping under our hob-nailed shoes as we stumbled along down the sharp incline leading to the wharf.

Ahead we could perceive a forest of masts, and what seemed like a vast crowd of waiting people.

Only the murmur of voices greeting us as we emerged, told that this gathering was not a hostile one, and this truth was emphasized to our minds by the efforts of the guard to hasten our passage.