XII THE HALLS OF JUSTICE 245 



be somewhat in the nature of a test case, as hitherto no 

 cases had been tried in the country under the new laws. I 

 next proceeded to question him regarding my own case, and 

 he requested time to look through my papers before saying 

 anything in the matter. To this I agreed, and on returning 

 in the afternoon he said that he wished to dismiss the case 

 against me, as there was nothing in it to go before a court. 

 I was so riled at the treatment I had received from the 

 hands of the Marshal, and at the reports which had been 

 freely circulated in the village regarding our supposed 

 indiscriminate slaughtering of game, that I demanded as my 

 due that my case should be taken within twenty-four hours, 

 adding that although I was informed that it was a case in 

 which I was entitled to a jury, that he, acting as Judge alone, 

 would suffice for me. I added, however, that in the event of 

 receiving any unfavourable decision in his court, I should 

 take the case through every court in the country, until I 

 could finally reach the Supreme Court at Washington, where 

 I knew the charge would not hold water. 



Finally the Judge decided to hear my case on the 

 following day. 



The court was held at the Russian school-house, and 

 nearly every seat was occupied soon after the doors opened, 

 every white man in the village putting in an appearance. 

 The place happened then to be very full, owing to a number 

 of miners, fishermen, and others waiting to catch the last 

 steamer going out of Cook's Inlet before winter set in. 

 This pleased me considerably, the more particularly as I 

 found the sympathy of the majority was on the side of 

 sportsmen who come annually to the country and spend 

 money freely whilst there. The party of five Englishmen 

 besides myself occupied prominent seats. The solemnity 



