Part 20 (1/2)

We had to hurry back to court again, and, the native evidence concluded, Brian was called to the witness-box He deposed to George's return hoedy, and how he and I were the first to hear the boy's account of the same, and from that, his first account, he had never swerved in any detail Also how he hiedy in the hope of being of some aid Pyle then questioned him about the accused's disposition Was he inclined to be careless with firearms?

No, Brian didn't think he was All boys were s Whereat a titter ran through the crowd

Was the accused of a mischievous disposition?

”Not e” And at this the titter becaistrate, whose official soul was scandalised, to glance up sharply

Was he of a passionate or vindictive disposition?

”Not in the least,” answered Brian decisively ”I am as convinced that the whole affair was a sheer accident--the thoughtless pointing of a gun at anybody I don't defend--as I am that I stand here at this reeted this re done with, I was invited to take his place, but as all that anted froe's first narrative of the affair, I soon got down again

Septiave his evidence in a sensible straightforward manner that orthy of all praise He told of the irruption of indignant natives on to his place, but without any rancour or ill-will As for the accident, no one regretted and deplored it more than he did, unless it was his unfortunate son, and he fully intended, according to Kafir custom in the matter of homicide, to make liberal compensation to the relatives of the slain boys As to which he would be glad if the istrate would allow this to be made known by the interpreter for the satisfaction of the natives at the back of the court

He had always lived on friendly terhbours, he went on when the hureeted the last announcement had subsided, and hoped always to do so, in spite of this deplorable accident; several of their chiefs, too, ell known to and esteemed by him and his, and now in this case he had been the first to surrender up his own son to justice

”That will do, Mr Matterson,” said Pyle hurriedly, seeing signs of an utter breakdown And he beckoned hian a fervid appeal to the Bench If all the testimony they had just listened to orth a jot, he said, it was clear as clear could be that the case was not one of culpable hohter, but of accidental death The evidence of the native witnesses, fair and straightforward as, to their great credit, it had been, made this way, even more if possible than that of the relatives and friends of the accused The only eyewitnesses of the tragedy, besides the accused, had frankly admitted when it was put fairly to them, that the lamentable and deplorable affair e upon the terrible mental punishone, a consciousness which would last far into his after and maturer life, of what one act of carelessness had involved; and having expatiated thus and at so his worshi+p to discharge the accused, and not to add further to his own sufferings and to those of his sorrowing relatives

There was dead silence as the attorney ended this appeal We, and indeed all in the rooe's discharge would follow But we reckoned without Shattuck

”As Mr Pyle has observed,” began the istrate, ”this is a painful and deplorable case Even an accidentits perpetrator a to a htless bravado on the part of the accused, and I should not be doing e and jury to decide, and the accused stands committed to the next Circuit Court here”

Then the forone through, and having been duly cautioned, George, instructed by the attorney, repeated, ”It was an accident,” and in a scrawling, shaky, schoolboy hand signed his stateranted There was plenty of substantial security available, he added And at his words at least a dozen men stood up But the next words that fell froreater thunderbolt to us than the decision to corant bail, your worshi+p?”

”No Not in a case of this nature”

”But there's no more substantial man in the district than the boy's father, your worshi+p”

”I arant bail”

Quite an angry istratea very distinct contempt of court,”

he observed coldly ”Remove the prisoner”

The poor little chap kept up bravely till he was out of sight Then he broke down and fairly howled

To do Shattuck justice, his apparent hard-heartedness was not withoutof the Court--that is to say immediately, for there were no more cases that day--he asked us to step into his office

”I arieved, Mr Matterson, over the course I have been obliged to take,” he began, stiffly and constrainedly, ”but I fully believe I a as I have done If the boy were given back to you noould not all the Kafirs around, and Kuliso's people in particular, at once jump to the conclusion that justice had not been done, and that there was one law for the black and another for the white? In short, I believe his life would be in hourly danger