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A few minutes before nine the spectators were all in their places, and on the stroke of the hour the members of the Court filed in. All in the room rose and remained standing until Lord Hood and the other officers had taken their places.

A moment of silence followed; then the master-at-arms called: “Roger Byam, stand forth!”

I rose and waited, facing Lord Hood.

“You have been accused, with others, of the mutinous and piratical seizure of His Majesty’s armed vessel, Bounty. You have heard the Crown’s witnesses. The Court is now ready to receive whatever you may have to say in your own defense. Are you prepared?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Raise your right hand.”

I was then sworn, and I remember how my hand trembled as I held it up. I looked toward Sir Joseph for comfort, but he sat with his hands clasped around his knee, gazing straight before him. The Court waited for me to proceed. For a moment, panic seized me. The eyes of everyone in the room were turned toward me, and their faces became a blur before my own. Then, as though it were someone else, a long distance away, I heard my own voice speaking:—