they passed the night.

Next morning, some time after daylight, they heard a number of people
collecting outside. Presently the door opened, and a couple of men
appeared with trays containing basins of broth, and some dark-looking
loaves of Indian corn. Without speaking the men put the viands on the
ground and hurried out of the room, afraid, apparently, the prisoners
might set upon them.

"Come, at all events, they don't intend to starve us; though I can't say
that this stuff looks very tempting," remarked Higson.

However, as all hands were very hungry, they ate up the food.
Fortunately, several of them having cigars or pipes in their pockets,
they sat down to console themselves with a smoke.

An hour or two passed away, and they saw through their windows a larger
crowd than before assembled, among whom were a number of armed men,
though they were too irregularly dressed to be taken for soldiers.

"We shall get more kicks than ha'pence if we resist should they be come
to take us anywhere, so it will be wiser to go quietly," observed
Higson. "I don't suppose that they really intend to injure us."

As he spoke the door opened, and the armed men entering, the whole party
were dragged out and marched up, each of them between a couple of
guards, through the village to a building which appeared to be a sort of
courthouse. That it was so was evident on their entering, when they
found themselves placed together on one side of a large room, at the end
of which sat a burly-looking personage before a table, and two men on
either hand, with paper and pens before them. Several persons whom they
recognised as the leaders among their captors of the previous evening,
now came forward and addressed the judge, or district magistrate, he
might have been more properly called the _Juiz da Fora_, violently
gesticulating, and occasionally pointing at the prisoners. What they
said was put down on paper, the judge nodding and trying to look very
wise, and sometimes frowning as he glanced towards the accused. At last
their captors came to an end of what they had to say. The judge turned
towards the Englishmen to hear what reply they had to make in their
defence. Now arose a considerable difficulty. As Higson had not
understood a word of the accusation brought against him and his
companions, he was excessively bothered how to form a reply.

"Well, Norris, what did the fellows say?" he asked. "I must get you to
be our spokesm