"'Had you any friends at Dundee?' 'No.'
"'The fact is, that you had nobody that could protect you?' 'No, I had no protection; the first three years I was at the mill I never saw my mother at all; and when I got this accident with my hand she never knew of it.'
"'Where did she reside at that time?' 'At Perth.'
"'You say that your master himself was in the habit of treating you in the way you have mentioned?' 'Yes.'
"'Describe what the treatment was?' 'The treatment was very bad; perhaps a box on the ear, or very frequently a kick with his foot.'
"'Were you punished for falling asleep in that mill?' 'Yes, I have got my licks for it, and been punished very severely for it.'
"'Where did you go to then?' 'I went to a mill in Argyleshire.'
"'How many years were you in this mill of Mr. Andrew Smith's, of Gateside?' 'Eleven years.'
"'What age were you, when you went to this mill in Argyleshire?' 'About 16.'
"'You stated that you were bound to stay with Mr. Smith for six years; how came you then to continue with him the remaining five years?' 'At the end of those six years I got 3l. a year from my master, and found my own clothes out of that.'