'Do you know of any ill-feeling between complainant and accused?'
'No, I did not know the accused at all. I live many miles from Beddagama.'
'Next witness.'
Fernando was the next witness. He wore for the occasion a black European coat, a pink starched shirt, and a white cloth. He was cool and unabashed. He told how he had gone out in the night for a call of nature, how he had heard a noise in the compound of the headman and had then seen Babun come out carrying something and go with it into the jungle behind his own house.
'Could you see what it was?' asked the proctor.
'Not distinctly. He walked as if it were heavy. It was rather large.'
'How did you recognise him? Can you swear it was he?'
'I can swear that it was the accused. I recognised him first by his walk. But I also saw his face in the moonlight.'
'Are you on bad terms with accused? Does he owe you money?'
'I am not on bad terms with him. I scarcely know him. He owes me for kurakkan lent to him. I had arranged to make him my gambaraya. All the villagers there owe me money.'