I was looking at the moon through it the other day and the image was amazing.
That reminds me of the true story about knowing, in examination of a witness, what questions to ask but also knowing when to stop. And never, never ever, to ask a question to which you don't already know the answer.
A Brief was cross examining a police officer, in the Met, who claimed he'd recognised his client, a local "villain" and known burglar, leaving a factory and then later arrested him on that identification basis.
"Officer, at what time of day was it when you say you saw my client leaving the factory premises?"
"2.00am, Sir."
"2.00am at night, Officer?"
"Yes Sir."
"A dark night was it Officer?"
"Yes Sir."
"And how far where you away from my client when you say you saw him and recognised him?"
"Seventy yards, Sir."
"So you saw my client, clearly, and recognised him at 2.00am at night, a dark night, and at fully seventy yards away?"
"Yes Sir."
"Really Officer? That is very interesting."
And that's where he should have stopped, thanked the witness and told the Judge he'd no further questions. But this Brief wouldn't let it lie. He had to ask that final question.
"And just how far can you see Officer, clearly, at 2.00am on a dark night?"
"Well Sir I can see the moon and that's about 250,000 miles away."
But back to the matter in hand. Missing bits on an old 'scope are in my experience fatal to its chances of selling as replacements are likely unobtainable. I've a nice pocket draw 'scope that is missing a lens cover that, for that reason, was cheap.
