human
Thaddeus Butler, stand up! commanded the justice.
gpt
What do you know about this case, young man?
human
No more than you already have heard, sir.
gpt
Were you a witness to the killing?
human
No, sir.
gpt
When was your attention first attracted to it?
human
When I heard my companion call out.
gpt
Was the moose dead when you reached the scene?
human
Practically.
gpt
Brown had killed it?
human
I supposed so.
gpt
What did he tell you?
human
Something like what he has told to you. I guess the main facts were somewhat similar,
gpt
You ate some of the meat?
human
We did.
gpt
Did your guide, Cale Vaughn, approve of what had been done?
human
He did not. He said it was against the law to kill moose at this time of the year.
gpt
Did he bury the antlers, proposing to return later and get them?
human
We buried the antlers, sir. The moose was dead. No further harm could be done, it seemed to me.
gpt
No, you are right. You had already done quite enough. You had violated the law. You could violate it no further except by killing another moose or a deer. That will be all. Professor Zepplin, stand up. You are in charge of this party, are you not?
human
Yes, sir.
gpt
Do you think you are doing your duty as a law-abiding citizen by permitting one under your charge to violate one of our most sacred laws?
human
I do not see how I could have prevented this, sir.
gpt
A proper supervision of your party surely would have kept them from breaking the laws, no matter how lawless--
human
My young men are not lawless, sir, retorted Professor Zepplin indignantly.
gpt
They are most respectable, law-abiding young men. What occurred was accidental. I am thoroughly convinced of that. Statements to the contrary are untrue, and--
human
Silence!
gpt
I demand the right to be heard in this matter. If we cannot get justice in this court we shall seek it elsewhere. My young men have done nothing to warrant this high-handed proceeding. One of my party was attacked by an angry beast. He defended himself to the best of his ability. Had he not killed the moose the probability is that the beast would have killed him. Even had this not been the case one or the other of us would have been obliged to shoot the moose to protect ourselves.