HOW I BECAME AN OUTLAW 319 



avocat, who was said to know his business, and who 

 certainly made a rattling defence, never objected to 

 all this hearsay. All the "evidence" really given by 

 this witness was that, having gone to the spot next 

 day, he had found in the snow footprints of men and 

 dogs and some blood. 



The second witness was the peasant whose wheel- 

 barrow I had requisitioned, and who was in an abject 

 state of funk. He avowed his share in the iniquitous 

 transaction, and prayed the court to believe he acted 

 in ignorance. I suppose he was dismissed as '' Grand 

 Duke's evidence." 



Then up stepped my friend the Brigadier. Now, I 

 thought, the court will hear how above-board and 

 simple the whole matter was. Imagine my horror 

 when he began : " On the — th inst., from information 

 received, I visited the accused. At first he was in- 

 clined to deny the offence, but afterwards confessed," 

 &c. This was my friendly chat. Still, I felt sure 

 my counsel would very soon tear this web to pieces. 

 The State Prosecutor spoke first, and demanded that 

 all the rigours of the law should be let loose upon my 

 devoted head, — but this, I understand, these officials 

 always do. 



Then Maitre rose to reply. He certainly had 



an easy task ; but he did it well. He began by saying 

 that, granted that I w^as guilty, it was obviously not a 

 case to press. I w^as a foreigner, and my conduct had 

 been perfectly simple and above-board, and I had 

 obviously acted in ignorance. He then attacked the 

 charge. "The law," he said, "provides that the 

 shooting of game shall end on a certain fixed day ; 

 and we do not deny that after this date my client 

 shot a badger. But, gentlemen, the law has been 



