Next morning the watch awakened us while it was still dark, and said the officer had given orders that we must be moving. We paid no attention to this. The ordinary convicts had been already called out, and were in the yard ready for the start, when at four o’clock the sergeant came and repeated the order. Some of us then dressed, but the others remained lying on the plank beds. Meanwhile the convicts began to grumble at being kept freezing in the cold; they cursed and threatened, and made a great to-do outside our windows. The officer himself now appeared, accompanied by one of the soldiers, and again repeated his order to start. We did not stir, and he called to his people— “Drive them out with the butt-ends of your rifles!” This would now most certainly have become a serious affair if the soldiers had obeyed at once, for we were prepared to defend ourselves. Fortunately they hesitated a moment, and that saved us. “What are you doing?” cried some of us. “Do you want to have bloodshed? That would not be pleasant for you. You have broken your promise, and in no case are we obliged to begin the march so early; the instructions only say that a party must reach its destination before sunset.” At this moment the sergeant came up in haste. “Captain,” said he, “the convicts are in rebellion; they want to break in here.” “Let us get at them!” we heard them shouting outside; “we’ll soon make them show their legs!” “There you are!” we cried to the officer. “You have brought this on yourself. It is your fault for having inflamed those men against us.” The man lost his presence of mind in face of this danger; and, scared out of his wits, instead of giving orders, appealed to us for counsel. “In God’s name, what’s to be done?” We advised him to let the fellows start off at once, under command of the sergeant, so as to get them out of the way. “At six o’clock we will be ready, and will go after them; but we won’t start a minute sooner.” He went off somewhat humbled, and gave the order as we had suggested. We drank our tea very peacefully, and got ready at our leisure. From time to time the orderly appeared, and asked if we would start; but we always looked at the time and said it was only so many minutes to six. Punctually on the stroke of the hour we got up and set off after the rest of the convoy. This occurrence had the effect of winning us the respect and sympathy of most of the convicts. Our firmness and decision pleased them and impressed them. They were surprised that such a handful of us—fourteen men and women—should have successfully resisted the domineering of an officer, who had at his command a hundred soldiers and their own contingent into the bargain.