“Had he seen the prisoner Marston when the cattle were sold now alleged to belong to Mr. Hood?”

“Yes; he was confident that prisoner was there with some other man whom he (witness) did not particularly remark. He helped to draft the cattle, and to put them in pens on the morning of the sale.”

“Was he prepared to swear that prisoner Marston was not a hired servant of prisoner Starlight?”

“No; he could not swear. He had no way of knowing what the relations were between the two. They were both in the robbery; he could see that.”

“How could you see that?” said our lawyer. “Have you never seen a paid stockman do all that you saw prisoner Marston do?”

“Well, I have; but somehow I fancy this man was different.”

“We have nothing to do with your fancies, sir,” says our man, mighty hot, as he turns upon him; “you are here to give evidence as to facts, not as to what you fancy. Have you any other grounds for connecting prisoner Marston with the robbery in question?”

“No, he had not.”

“You can go down, sir, and I only wish you may live to experience some of the feelings which fill the breasts of persons who are unjustly convicted.”

This about ended the trial. There was quite enough proved for a moderate dose of transportation. A quiet, oldish-looking man got up now and came forward to the witness-box. I didn’t know who he was; but Starlight nodded to him quite pleasant. He had a short, close-trimmed beard, and was one of those nothing-particular looking old chaps. I’m blessed if I could have told what he was. He might have been a merchant, or a squatter, or a head clerk, or a wine merchant, or a broker, or lived in the town, or lived in the country; any of half-a-dozen trades would suit him. The only thing that was out of the common was his eyes. They had a sort of curious way of looking at you, as if he wondered whether you was speaking true, and yet seein’ nothing and tellin’ nothing. He regular took in Starlight (he told me afterwards) by always talking about the China Seas; he’d been there, it seems; he’d been everywhere; he’d last come from America; he didn’t say he’d gone there to collar a clerk that had run off with two or three thousands pounds, and to be ready to meet him as he stepped ashore.