"What!" exclaimed the captain, his face becoming pale with anger; "what do you dare to say? Do you question the justice of our sentence? Would you excuse a traitor?"
"He is no traitor!" said the brother boldly.
"Was he not caught attempting to escape? Answer me instantly."
"Yes, but he had no intention of betraying any of us."
"What then was his object?" demanded Captain Stockton sternly.
"He meant to leave you. He had become tired of the life of a bushranger. He wished to return to the paths of honesty, and live by labor at some respectable trade."
"And why was this? Why, after so many years, had he become tired of our noble independence?"
"In one of his missions, undertaken in the interest of the fraternity, he had made the acquaintance of a young girl, modest and attractive. He wished to marry her, but as a bushranger he knew this was impossible. Therefore, he resolved to leave our band, and enter upon a new life. He would never have uttered a word to imperil the safety of his captain or his comrades."
"And you expect us to believe this?" said the captain with a sneer.
"I do. I swear it is true."