The Village in the Jungle

by Leonard Woolf

'Any questions?' said the judge.

'Any questions?' the interpreter asked Babun.

'I don't understand,' said Babun.

'Yakko,' said the interpreter angrily, 'do you want to ask complainant any questions?'

'What questions are there to ask? It is lies what he said.'

There was a pause while the judge waited for Babun to think of a question. The silence confused him, and all the eyes looking at him. He fixed his own eyes on the jungle.

At last Babun thought of a question.

'Did you not ask me to give the woman to the Mudalali?'

'No,' said Babehami.

'Did not the Mudalali call her to go to his house?'