s of a gang of reactionary landowners!"

Judge Nelson's gavel hit the bench with a crack like a rifle shot.

"Mr. Sidney! In justice to your clients, I would hate to force them to
change lawyers in the middle of their trial, but if I hear another
remark like that about the courts of New Texas, that's exactly what will
happen, because you'll be in jail for contempt! Is that clear, Mr.
Sidney?"

I settled back with a deep sigh of relief which got me, I noticed,
curious stares from my fellow Ambassadors. I disregarded the questions
in their glances; I had what I wanted.

They began calling up the witnesses.

First, the doctor who had certified Ambassador Cumshaw's death. He gave
a concise description of the wounds which had killed my predecessor.
Sidney was trying to make something out of the fact that he was
Hickock's family physician, and consuming more time, when I got up.

"Your Honor, I am present here as _amicus curiae_, because of the
obvious interest which the Government of the Solar League has in this
case...."

"Objection!" Sidney yelled.

"Please state it," Nelson invited.

"This is a court of the people of the planet of New Texas. This foreign
emissary of the Solar League, sent here to conspire with New Texan
traitors to the end that New Texans shall be reduced to a supine and
ravished satrapy of the all-devouring empire of the Galaxy--"

Judge Nelson rapped sharply.

"Friends of the court are defined as persons having a proper interest in
the case. As this case arises from the death of the former Ambassador of
the Solar League, I cannot see how the present Ambassador and his staff
can be excluded. Overruled." He nodded to me. "Continue, Mr.
Ambassador."

"As I understand, I have the same rights of cross-examination of
witnesses as counsel for the prosecution and defense; is that correct,
Your Honor?" It was, so I turned to the witness. "I suppose, Doctor,
that you have had quite a bit of experience, in your practice, with
gunshot wounds?"

He chuckled. "Mr. Ambassador, it is gunshot-wound cases which keep the
practice of medicine and surgery alive on this planet. Yes, I definitely
have."

"Now, you say that the deceased was hit by six different projectiles:
right shoulder almost completely severed, right lung and right ribs
blown out of the chest, spleen and kidneys so intermingled as to be
practically one, and left leg severed by complete shattering of the left
pelvis and hip-joint?"

"Th