nteen
keeper in the district, he merely answered the question. Gonjana had
been with him about a year, and twice he had suspected him of killing
sheep before. In other respects his behaviour was far from
satisfactory. Why did he keep him in his service? Well, servants were
scarce just then, and good ones scarcer still. He employed a bad one,
as some people employ an attorney--as a necessary evil.

Amid a great splutter of mirth Mr Darrell appeals vehemently to the
Bench to protect him against the insults of the witness, but there is a
twinkle in his eye and a half-suppressed grin on his face as he does so.

"Any more questions?"

"No."

So the prosecutor steps down, and is replaced by the police sergeant,
who deposes to the finding of the skin and the arrest of the prisoner.
The latter made no remark except that he supposed some one must have put
it there, as he knew nothing about it. This witness is not
cross-examined.

No evidence has Mr Darrell to call. But he draws a pathetic picture of
his unfortunate client, wrongfully accused--mistakenly rather, for
nobody who knows Mr Suffield would suspect him of wilfully making a
false accusation. This unfortunate man then--the very nature of whose
work obliges him to be alone in the lonely veldt, cannot of course call
any rebutting evidence, cannot prove an _alibi_--is being victimised by
the real culprit, but would rather take the punishment upon himself than
inform against the real culprit; and so on, and so on. The while
Gonjana, standing nonchalantly in the dock, is marvelling at the
stupendous idiocy of the white man, who can take up all that time
determining the plainest and clearest proofs of his guilt. And the
Bench shares in substance his opinion.

"This case," says the Bench, "is as plain as the nose on one's face.
Mr Darrell has made the best of a bad job on behalf of his client, but
even he could hardly be sanguine enough to expect to succeed. Tell him
I find him guilty," concludes the magistrate. And the constable
interprets accordingly.

"What is he saying?" as the man is vehemently muttering something.

"He say, sir, nobody see him kill dat sheep."

"Of course not. If every crime had to be seen by an eye-witness, how
many criminals would be convicted at all? Has he the means of paying a
fine? It will make a difference in his sentence."

"Yes, sir. He say he has one cow and fifteen sheep and goats."

This statement having been corro