thing should have induced
me to put my hand to it."

"Can you swear that your name is not Willand Wetherholm, and that this
is not your signature?" asked the President, and the paper was shown me,
"That is my name, and that is my signature, but I didn't put it to any
document of that sort. I was writing a letter to my wife, just before
the mutiny broke out, when the man whose name appears above mine, came
and asked me to put my name as a witness to his signature, stating that
it was required for legal purposes, in order to enable him to obtain a
property to which he was entitled."

"A likely story," observed one of the members of the court. "Reginald
Berkeley, as you call yourself, is this man's story correct? Did you
ask him to witness your signature for such a purpose as he states?"

I saw Iffley and Berkeley exchange glances.

"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,