Leopard Hunts in Darkness - Smith Wilbur - Страница 58

The next witness was the driver of the truck containing the contraband. He was an ex-ZIPRA guerrilla, recently released from one of th. rehabilitation centres and his testimony was given, I ire the vernacular and translated into English by the court interpreter.

"Had you ever met the accused before the night you were arrestedf Abel Khori demanded of him after establishing his identity.

"Yes. I was with him in the fighting."

"Did you see him again after the war?"

"Yes."

"Will you tell the court when that was?"

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"Last year in the dry season."

"Before you were placed in the rehabilitation centrer "Yes, before that."

"Where did you meet Minister Tungata Zebiwe?"

"In the valley, near the great river."

"Will you tell the court about that meeting?"

"We were hunting elephant for the ivory."

"How did you hunt them?"

"We used tribesmen, Batonka tribesmen, and a helicopeld." ter, to drive them into the old minefi object to this line of questioning, my lord." Mr. Petal QC jumped up. "This has nothing to do with the charges."

"It has reference to the first charge," Abel Khori insisted.

"Your objection is overruled, Mr. Petal. Please continue Mr. Prosecutor."

"How many elephant did you kill?" many, many elephant." "Can you estimate how many?"

"Perhaps two hundred elephant, I am not sure." that the Minister Tungata Zebiwe was "And you state there?"

"He came after the elephant had been killed. He came to count the ivory and take it away in his helicopter-2

"What helicopter?"

"A government helicopter." 41 object, your lordship, the Point is irrelevant."

"Objection overruled, Mr. Petal, please continue." When his turn came for crossexamination, Mr. Joseph Petal went into the attack immediately.

u that you were never a member of 11 put it toyo e fighters. That you Minister Tungata Zebiwe's resistanc never, in fact, met the minister until that night on the Karoi road--2

"I object, your lordship," Abel Khori shouted indigthe witness in nantly. "The defence is trying to discredit the knowledge that no records of patriotic soldiers exist and that the witness cannot, therefore, prove his gallant service to the cause."

"Objection sustained. Mr. Petal, please confine your questions to the matter in hand and do not bully the witness."

"Very well, your lordship." Mr. Petal was rosy-faced with frustration as he turned back to the witness.

"Can you tell the judge when you were released from the rehabilitation centre?"

"I forget. I cannot remember."

"Was it a long time or a short time before your arrest?"

"A short time," the witness replied sulkily, looking down at his hands in his lap.

"Were you not released from the prison camp on the condition that you drove the truck that night, and that you aereed to 2I've evidence-" "My lord!" shrieked Abel Khori, and the judge's voice was as shrill and indignant.

"Mr. Petal, you will not refer to state rehabilitation centres as prison camps."

"As your lordship pleases." Mr. Petal continued, "Were You made any promises when you were released from the rehabilitation centre?"

"No. "The witness looked about him unhappily.

"Were you visited in the centre, two days before your release, by a Captain Timon Nbebi of the Third Brigade?"

"No.

"Did you have anyovisitors in the camp?"

"No! NaP "No visitors at all, are you sure?"

"The witness has already answered that question," the judge stopped him, and Mr. Petal sighed theatrically, and threw up his hands.

"No further questions, my lord."

"Do you intend calling any further witnesses, Mr. Khorir Craig knew that the next witness should have been Timon Nbebi, but unaccountably Abel Khori passed over him and called instead the trooper who had been knocked down by the Land-Rover.

Craig felt an uneasy little chill Of doubt at the change in the prosecution's tactics. Did the prosecutor want to protect Captain Nbebi from cross examination? Did he want to prevent Mr. Petal from pursuing the question of a visit by Timon Nbebi to the rehabilitation centre? If this was so, the implications were so Craig forced himself to put his doubts unthinkable, aside.

The necessity for all questions and replies to be translated made the entire court process long-drawn-out and tedious, so it was only on the third day that Craig was called to the witness stand.