I committed a crime."

John was almost startled at the frankness of the confession, which the
old man made without the least perceptible show of feeling or shame.

"Would you like to go back again?"

"Go back where?"

"To your home."

He looked bewildered for a moment, and then answered: "This is my home."

"But I mean your old home at Sasite."

The old man shook his head vigorously, and answered: "No! no! There is
no place like Hutoton."

"Do you know what 'Hutoton' means?"

"Yes; it means 'the place of death.'"

The boys were startled at the reply. John turned to them, when he saw
their expression, and smiled. The old man, too, smiled.

"Do any of your people want to go back?"

He looked surprised at the question. "Do they want to go back?" he
repeated the query. "No; but you should ask them. I do not know of any
one who wishes to return. We love our Chief too much to wish for such a
thing."

"Do you know what the people in Sasite think of this place?"

"No; not altogether; I am curious to know."

"They believe it is a terrible place, and that the people who are sent
here never have another day of peace or happiness."

"And have they not changed their opinions? I used to think so too, and
we believed it of those who went before us; but we thought they might
have changed their opinions, because we felt that people were growing
better and not worse. It is a long time since they sent us real
criminals, and we thought the Chief's people were growing wiser and
happier."

"When did the last criminals come here?"

"Nearly one year ago."

CHAPTER XV

SAVAGE MARRIAGE CUSTOMS

It was impossible to describe the effect of these revelations on the
boys. It was so different from anything they had been led to expect. It
brought one thing forcibly to their minds; that because these people had
committed some crime, or some wrong against society, they were still
human beings, and were worthy of being treated as men and women.

John related to them that various governments had tried the plan of
sending convicts to some foreign lands, and placing them in situations
where they might work out their own salvation; that all such efforts
were successful, where real opportunities were bestowed.

"The idea is," remarked John, "that they are banished from the society
in which they resided, or in which they were raised, for the purpose of
helping them. The reason for inflicting punishment on criminals has be