Dan lifted his face from the ground. "I meant to do you no harm, my good fellows," he said, quickly.
"Meaning's meaning, but doing's doing, and we've heard all that's going," said Quilleash. "You've surrendered and confessed, and the presentment is agen us all, and what's in for you is in for us."
"But you are innocent men. What need you fear?"
"Innocent we be, but where the Deemster comes there's not a ha'p'orth to choose between you and us."
Dan's face flushed, and he answered warmly, "Men, don't let your miserable fears make cowards of you. What have you done? Nothing. You are innocent. Yet how are you bearing yourselves? Like guilty men. If I were innocent do you think I would skulk away in the mountains?"
"Aisy, sir, take it aisy. Maybe you'd rather run like a rat into a trap. Cowards? Well, pozzible, pozzible. There's nothing like having a wife and a few childers for making a brave chap into a bit of a skunk. But we'll lave 'cowards' alone if you plaze."
Quilleash made a dignified sweep of the back of his hand, while the other men said, "Better, better."
"Why have you brought me here?" said Dan.
"There isn't a living sowl knows where you are, and when they find you're missing at the Castle they'll say you've thought better of it and escaped."
"Why have you brought me here?" Dan repeated.