204 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER CH. 



the plaintiff with a couple of askaris to arrest the 

 confederate. This was done, and he was brought 

 and charged before the magistrate. Ludicrous as it 

 may seern, his defence was that, as he had murdered 

 the Indian himself, with very little assistance from 

 the plaintiff, he was naturally entitled to the lion's 

 share of the spoil. Subsequently, they were both 

 tried, found guilty of murder, and executed, and 

 even to the very last they were firmly convinced 

 that someone in authority had blundered, and that, 

 somehow or other, there had been a dreadful mis- 

 carriage of justice. 



On another occasion, one of my servants came 

 to me in great distress, saying that his wife's 

 murderer had just arrived in the district, and asking 

 me to have him arrested. Explaining the matter, 

 he said that the murder had been committed ten 

 years ago, and on my asking him how he recognized 

 the delinquent after the lapse of so many years, he 

 replied that he could not be sure of his identity, but 

 felt certain that the man must be the actual murderer, 

 for he had been boasting of the deed. I sent for 

 the man in question and he came quite willingly. 

 He made no secret of the fact that ten years 

 previously he had killed a woman, but said he was 

 rather hazy as to whether it was my man's wife or 

 not. 



I sent him to the nearest magistrate, but the 



