THE RAAD 191 



tenced the culprit, who had admitted his guilt, 

 to receive three dozen with a " strop," which 

 were immediately and energetically inflicted. 

 The punishment, although illegal, had been 

 richly deserved. I considered that the Raad 

 had acted with propriety, but it was neces- 

 sary to be guarded in what I said. If the prin- 

 ciple involved had been given formal official 

 sanction, it might have been logically applied 

 to more serious cases, those, for instance, in 

 which capital punishment would have been 

 due. If, at some future time, the Vicar under 

 my implied authority had erected a gallows 

 and engaged the services of a Lord High Exe- 

 cutioner, it would have been awkward, to say 

 the least of it. 



Accordingly I temporised. Lothario of the 

 shifty eye was informed that his case would 

 be duly considered at head-quarters. So it 

 would, by the moths inhabiting the pigeon- 

 holes of the Record Office in Cape Town. 

 Nevertheless I should have to deal cunningly 

 with this episode so as to avoid raising a hum- 

 anitarian howl. However, I meant, so far as I 

 could to support the authority of the Raad. 

 The result of discrediting that would have 

 been to loosen the bonds of the moral law, to 

 hand the Richtersveld over to be exploited by 



