ne.'

The Court Martial was over. Every one of the captains had disappeared.
His accusers were gone; but Richard's sentence remained, and was still
to be carried out on the following morning. One officer, the same
lieutenant who had been cruel to him before, was still unkind to him
and called him 'a hypocrite Quaker,' but many others on board ship did
their best to save him.

First of all there came up an ancient soldier to the Admiral on the
quarter-deck. He 'loosed down his knee-strings, and put down his
stockings, and put his cap under his knees, and begged Sir Edward's
pardon three times' (this seems to have been the correct behaviour
when addressing the Admiral), and the ancient soldier said, 'Noble Sir
Edward, you know that I have served His Majesty under you many years,
both in this nation and other nations, by the sea, and you were always
a merciful man; therefore I do entreat you, in all kindness, to be
merciful to this poor man, who is condemned to die to-morrow; and only
for denying your order for fear of offending God, and for conscience'
sake; and we have but one man on board, out of nine hundred and
fifty--only one which doth refuse for conscience' sake; and shall we
take his life away? Nay, God forbid! For he hath already declared
that, if we take his life away there shall a judgment appear upon some
on board, within eight and forty hours; and to me it hath appeared;
therefore I am forced to come upon quarter-deck before you; and my
spirit is one with his; therefore I desire you, in all kindness, to
give me the liberty, when you take his life away, to go off on board,
for I shall not be willing to serve His Majesty any longer on board of
ship; so I do entreat you once more to be merciful to this poor
man--so God bless you, Sir Edward. I have no more to say to you.'

Next came up the chief gunner--a more important man, for he had been
himself a captain--but he too 'loosed down his knee-strings, and did
beg the Admiral's pardon three times, being on his bare knees before
Sir Edward.'

Then Sir Edward said, 'Arise up, gunner, and speak.'

Whereupon the chief gunner answered, 'If it please your worship, Sir
Edward, we know you are a merciful man, and therefore I entreat you,
in all kindness, to be merciful to this poor man, in whom there
remains something more than flesh and blood; therefore I entreat you,
let us not destroy that which is alive; neither endeavour to do it;
and so God bless you, Sir Edwa