FALSE WITNESSES 



for the arduous duties of the day, which commenced with 

 the formal inquiry of the case tested the day before, 

 this formality being necessary before the plaint can be 

 disposed of. 



The inquiry is worthy of description as a specimen of the 

 difficulties an Indian Police Officer has often to contend 

 with. In the first place, the inquiry was held in an open 

 space between the tents. In the centre of this space was 

 placed a table and two chairs, one occupied by me and the 

 other, in deference to his rank, by the Inspector of Police, 

 while the local station officer, standing opposite, called out 

 the names of the complainant and defendant. 



As they appeared in answer to his summons, each made 

 a low obeisance, and the plaintiff now proceeded to tell 

 his truthless tale, interrupted at intervals by the other, 

 with sundry observations quite irrelevant to the case. 

 Finally, the deposition having been recorded, was read out 

 to the deponent and unblushingly admitted to be a 

 " true and faithful statement " of his case ! 



The accused was then asked if he had any question to 

 put to the accuser, and promptly began a history of himself 

 and all his family, till, admonished to confine himself to 

 questions touching the accusation, he made a long oration, 

 winding up with the usual formula " that being a poor man, 

 how could he know anything of the matter " ! 



The witnesses for the prosecution were then examined, 

 and after contradicting each other on every important 

 point, those for the defence were now produced ; but, as 

 most of them had already been bought over by the other 

 party, the state of tangle now arrived at may be easily 

 imagined ! Fortunately, however, the local investigation 

 had revealed the true facts of the case, which, false from its 

 inception, had originated in some real, or fancied, wrong 

 done to the complainant by the accused or some member 

 of his family many years before, and the plaint was accord- 

 ingly dismissed. Then, as there was no other local matter 

 to be attended to on that day, the rest of it was passed in 

 disposing of reports and other papers from the office, 

 which had arrived during the night. 



At about four or five o'clock work was over for the 

 day, and the hour or two of daylight left I employed in 



o 193 



