Page:Stories of Bengalee life - Prabhat Kumar Mukerji.pdf/76

64 Magistrate's mind, the complainant during the occurrence must have been so confounded and panic-struck that it was impossible for him to remember precisely by what means the boys caused him the injury in question. As regards the defence witnesses the Deputy was of opinion that they all belonged to the so-called Swadeshi party and so they must be telling untruths to save the boys. The defence pleader argued that the Dak Bungalow Khansama was an independent witness and should be believed. But it appeared to the Deputy Magistrate that that individual was constantly patronised by the pleaders (who were all Swadeshites) and so it was not likely that he would incur the displeasure of his every-day customers by speaking the truth to support the case of a chance visitor like the tea-planter Sahib.

The pleaders immediately applied for and obtained a certified copy of the judgment. They then approached the Sessions Judge for filing an appeal and prayed for bail.

Hundreds of school-boys were waiting outside the Judge's Court. As soon as they heard that bail was granted, they began shouting Bande Mataram vociferously. They got hold of an empty gharry and put the three accused inside it. They then unharnessed the horses and began dragging the gharry themselves. Forming themselves into a