The Island School — page 358: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“TRIAL “AND. SENTENCE OF CH ORK ER. cs Ses E “The allt to Mon tract caused the cagyenaet to empty, . Ps dade Chorker sauntering down to it, walked :to and: fro. a fora while, alone. Then he strolled into the hall and - looked about him. of him. _. -He did not doubt his own living personality, but Be - those with whom he was now in contact. Often in a dream he had found himself so ignored by persons i dreamt of, but the fear that he was now in the society bi of so many ghosts began to lay hold of him. _ He knew there had been a big fight. He was, in a sense, in a part of it. terminated, for long before the end he had managed 2 hiding until his last excursion to the kitchen led to 4 his capture. Was it possible that he had fallen upon the spectres | of the dead? He glanced round with a frightened air, butimmediately afterwards there was a break-up at the table. None of the boys left the hall. Chorker would have done so, but he was suddenly seized and pushed back into a chair. Jim was stand- ing by, and to him he appealed. « Mister Gordon, put a stop to this ’ere sort of nas My narves, arter wot I’ve gone through, ain’t equal to it.” “ Be silent, if you. lene said Jim. “ Wait until _ the table is cleared.” “ But what are you going to do ?” Chorker asked. - be. “Try you for desertion, and selling us to the iy enemy,’ was the answer. | - -—s- He fell back in the chair, staring wildly about him. Jim gave directions for the table to be rapidly er and the court to be formed. a ~ On the faces of all there was a solemnity that boded ill for the man about to be tried. His feelings were » of a nature not to be described by an ordinary pen or B tongue. — - the table being cleared, Jim took the head as. presi- dent or judge, and twelve others, mainly selected from the Council of Ten, ranging themselves on either side, acted as jury. Jim opened the proceedings by calling upon the prisoner to take his stand at the lower end of the table. c _ Chorker looked round him in vain for some evidence q * of his being the victim of a jest. Whatever was about to be done, the boys were in earnest. Martin and Trueberry acted as warders to the prisoner, each bearing a rifle. : | Da) Jim, 3 in measured terms, began the accusation. In _ plainterr 1s he set forth the facts as they had succeeded ach other x fre 0 m nt h e > time 2 € aXe lof bthe ORT ) We ey 5 in i ne ae Gy seesiit sy uf | Not one seated there returned his gaze, and a feel- ing of the whole thing being unreal took possession — But he did not know how it. to sneak back into the cave and there he had been in © It appeared that arrangements for the proper con- stitution of the court had already been made, for, on’ Ah eee RS os | re (eo sil, ie asin aun iM ven _ €O ‘did not pretend to know how that wretched man Honma is the statement that he was there, had been seen by Dawson, wounded by him i in mistake, afterwards dis- _ covered by Morse in the cave, and his villainous ~ ’ arrangement with the enemy overheard. ; Rs -To Chorker every word was a sting, but, with the 4 fatuity of an ignorant man, he still hoped to escape _ punishment by telling falsehoods. 7 ie * What have you to say to all this ?” asked Jim. a “I told you the truth when I said I got out of the 4 winder,” answered Chorker, with dry lips. _ “ But how about coming back the same way 2” “The truth also.” “ Chorker,” said Jim, “all des will not avail you. Do I anderefand that you returned here this morning ar “Suttinly,” was the prompt reply. ne | 4 “Were you not in the kitchen the night before last? There is a very humble witness against you in fe the form of a broken bast Why not admit the truth, hia) | man: 27? a ‘ “T niver meant to sell you,” said Chorker, wildly. “Jf I talked to them parties it was for to deceive them !” | Bs ‘But you sought them out.” i Chorker had no answer ready. He stared here ae d there, avoiding Jim’s eye, and at last opened his mouth as if he had a defence to his actions. But he | was dumb. i, “T will take the verdict from the jury in writing,” : said Jim, after a long pause. “ Each will please writes it on a piece of paper, fold it up, and pass it on me.” ) This was done amidst a stillness that permitted d the breathing of the prisoner to be heard. It sounded like the puffing of a small steam-tug heard from ¢ _ the entrance to the cave, but contented himself with. | : : i San $ FORA a Se | distance. The pieces of paper were passed up ‘to Jim, and one by one he read them out. ae “ Guilty !” a From the first to the last the verdict was the samé Chorker shiveringly heard the solemn record give nN out. inf What was to follow? He wondered what sentence Jim would pass upon him. But Jim was not going ) take the responsibility upon himself. Again were oy jury of twelve called upon to give their opinion. This time it was to be upon the nature of the punishment to be meted out to the prisoner, BA Again they were unanimous. wif “Death !” BI The record was unanimous, , fi One by one the words of condemnation were rea out. Chorker listened with a frozen face, and, con trary to what might have been expected of him, mad nosign. He siggy stood still, staring blankly Baas ie henta him. i WP Ni A Nahai id mic book ¢ yi ‘ ‘ Mi re | M ‘ ATLA) As ‘ 1 ui ¥ - 5 7 y i ; ue ts |! Pit} ib i Ml mH vhe