"I don't remember the circumstance, my lord," he answered with the
greatest effrontery. "I know that the paper was passed round for
signature, and that I put my name to it; and I suppose Wetherholm put
his, knowing what was written above it."
When again allowed to speak, I once more acknowledged that the signature
was mine, but that through carelessness, not having looked at the
document, which was doubled back, I had simply acceded to Berkeley's
request to sign as a witness.
"The word `witness' was written in pencil at the time, and I was about
to write over it in ink when I was interrupted," I said.
The President examined the paper through his spectacles, but declared
that he could see no traces of any pencil marks. It was passed round to
two or three other officers, who agreed with his lordship.
At last it was handed to Captain Pakenham, who, holding it up against
the light, produced a magnifying glass from his pocket, through which he
examined the paper.
"I see traces of pencil marks. Yes; and the letters `w-i-t,' then there
is a blank, and `e-s,' though an attempt has been made to rub it out,
and probably the person who tried to do so fancied that he had
succeeded. Sergeant, examine that man's pockets," and he pointed to
Iffley.
The sergeant, after fumbling about, produced a piece of india-rubber.
"I thought so," observed the Captain. "There has been some knavery at
work. This is greatly in the man's favour."
I breathed more freely at this than I had for many a day. He then
turned to Dick Hagger, and told him to make his statement.
Dick, pulling his hair, at once stepped forward, and in a clear voice
began: "My lords, and cap'ens, and gentlemen, I'll speak the truth and
nothing but the truth. I hated the notion of this here mutiny directly
I got an inkling of it, and so did my messmate Will Weatherhelm, and we
had made up our minds, if it was likely to come to anything, to get away
aft and tell the commander or first lieutenant; but when we was agoing,
quite unbeknown to us, before we had time to get on deck, the mutiny
broke out, the ladders were unshipped, an' we was kept prisoners. We
were both of us marked men, and when we again tried to join the officers
we was held back. Every one who has ever served with Weatherhelm knows
him to be a good seaman, and an orderly, well-conducted chap, who
wouldn't, for to get a pocketful of gold, have become a rascally
mutineer." The warrant and petty officers who were called, gave both
Hagger and me good characters, and his evidence appeared to weigh
greatly in my favour; still I could see that most of the members of the
court-martial considered it necessary to make an example of the whole of
those who had been captured, and one after the other the ringleaders
were condemned to death. Berkeley and Pratt fell on their knees on
hearing their sentence, and implored for mercy.
"It was through the treachery of that man that Wetherholm's signature
was obtained," said Captain Pakenham, pointing to the former; "I am not
inclined to grant him it."
The other members of the court were of his opinion.
Charles Iffley, though he had been the chief instigator of the mutiny,
was pardoned, in consequence of his having produced the paper with the
signature of the ringleaders. My fate still hung in the balance, for
Captain Pakenham alone seemed to consider me innocent. I saw my judges
conferring together. How my heart bounded with joy when the President
at length acquitted me!
Iffley cast a glance of disappointed spite towards me as he heard this,
and walked away. I was again a free man. My first act, after returning
thanks to Heaven from the bottom of my heart for my merciful
deliverance, was to obtain a sheet of paper, and write an account of
what had happened and my happy acquittal to Uncle Kelson, and beg him to
break the matter to my wife, for I was afraid that she would be overmuch
agitated should I address her directly.
Several boats were returning to the shore, and I, without difficulty,
got a man I knew to take it. The first to come up and congratulate me
was Dick Hagger.
"I was sure, Will, that they couldn't bring you in guilty. It would
have been against all right and reason; and if they had, why, I would
have gone up and axed to be hung too, and told them you was no more a
mutineer than I was!"
Many other shipmates came up, and expressed themselves much in the same
way. No one, however, spoke to Iffley, for they well knew that he was
at the bottom of the whole affair, and deserved hanging more than any of
the rest. He was from that day forward shunned by all in the ship, for
even the men who had mutinied would not trust him.
This made him more morose and ill-tempered than ever, and I could not
help suspecting that if he had an opportunity, he would still try to do
me an injury. Discipline was now perfectly restored, but the ship was
still not a happy one. No liberty was allowed, and we were kept hard at
work exercising the guns and reefing sails. When I asked for leave to
go on shore, I was refused.
"If we grant it to one, we must to another," was the answer.