Cadi And Council

Justice is the end of government, and every nation has its own peculiar method by which this end is achieved. In "Our Future üighway to India" an interesting trial is described. There had been a riot and one man had been hurt. The ringleaders in the riot were now put on trial, and a curious slght it was. The cadi and council were seated round a table. An officer called the "kaimaean" had condueted us to the place where the trial was going on, and the party was accommodated on a divan. The prisoners were brought in under strong guard, the wounded man and the .doctor being at the other end of our divan. The whole place was crowded with ■witnesscs and spectators. A more peculiar trial was never seen, every one gesticulating, shouting and yelling. The prisoners abused kaimaean, cadi, court and everything else, and were abused in turn. The noise went on increasing till it seemed as if the roof was about to fly off. Suddenly there would come a lull and every one, prisoners, guards and all, would commence smoking cigarettes. The ringleader in the riot coolly took a light from one of the members of the court. After a pause, and with their lungs refreshed by the soothing fumes of tobáceo, they would all again burst forth in chorus, and the noise would be worse than before. I know not how tiie clerk to the court managed to keep his notes of the evidence, but perhaps he was accustomed to such scènes, and managed to take down a fair description of what had oecurred. . Though there was fresh blood on their clothes, and some long hairs were sticking to the sword of the one who had actually struck the blow, the prisoners swore they were innocent Luckily the case did not rest on frail testimony, as an officer had been present and seen the man cut down. So far everything went to convict the culprits, but the question of provocation given and received had to be debated before the punishment could be awarded.