xiii ON THE HOMEWARD TRAIL 263 



defendant thanked the jury for acquitting an innocent man. 

 The rage of the Marshal and disgust of the Judge on hear- 

 ing the verdict were comical, and the latter informed the jury 

 on dismissing them that it was the last time any of them 

 should serve on a jury in that district so long as he remained 

 in office. 



The general opinion of the public, which was freely 

 expressed, was that things looked bad when this case was 

 dismissed, in which the defendant was an American, after 

 the heavy fines which had been inflicted on sportsmen who 

 were visitors from distant countries, all of whom had com- 

 mitted only small breaches of the game laws, and had 

 distributed large sums of money, to the considerable benefit 

 of the natives and local storekeepers. 



The Judge, who was exceedingly annoyed at the turn of 

 events, on discovering that I was a magistrate in my own 

 country, much to my amusement came to interview me on 

 some nice points of law, as he seemed to think that an 

 English magistrate must be well versed in all such matters. 

 He particularly wanted to know if it was not possible to 

 re-try the case in any way, with a fresh jury, or by any other 

 means. I replied saying that so far as I knew, both in 

 England and America, a man once acquitted by a jury was 

 free from any further prosecution under the same charge. 

 And, moreover, there appeared no possibility in this case of 

 being able to exercise the privileges of Scots law in a case 

 where the verdict was " Not proven." 



Two more days of snow and sleet ended our stay at 

 Saldovia, and on the 25 th the welcome sound of a steamer's 

 whistle, as she rounded the point outside the bay, announced 

 the arrival of the Bertha. Indeed, there were few people 

 who did not rejoice to see her, since she was some days 



