The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-08-30

now;a Dig one, little one and a saw
blade. The horn WIS gone, but he fel
conviction that this knife was a secon,
ink, and he put it in his pocket. Look
ing about still further, he saw a crack
Heard crack
"Noi SdD crack-a wide crack be
tween some rocks. Something suddenl,
told him there was cave there, and tina
he would find the body of Paul Picra il
:hat cave. He did find cave, very
cavernous cave-and he went and Dor
ro~ed spade, entered, and dug for sew
eral hours, till he struck something
hard"
"a box, containing the bones of Paul.
"No. He thought SO, at first; but it
proved to be nothing. but solid rock. He
dug here and he dug there-but all was
rock; and now, being much tired, he
paused, and began to suspect he was on
the wrong scent. A less resolvte man
would have despaired; but NO. says
FoXpaw, III dig in another way And
so he dug off, back to town again, and
made further inquiries about what Paul
Picra said and did the last time he was
seen; aud showed the jack-knife conf
dentially.
"Nobody had seen Psul have such a
knife, but Sol Foxpaw happened at last
on an old lady who remembered she had
bought some mixed yarn of Paul the day
he was missed. He seemed sick ard un-
happy and said he wanted to go to sea for
his health. This was all that FoXpaw
could paw out of her. 1t seems little,
but he thought it good deal. Wanted
to 60 to sea. That's another link says
Sol. "A man who goes to sea naturally
goes to vessel; in the first place. Moss
creek is seaport place. l will 60 down
to the water-side and inquire among the
SO he went down, and by good
luck he soon discovered that, for years
past, the schooner Flying Turtle had been
in the habit of bringing stock from the
city for the dry-goods store. Another
link, says Foxpaw. What more likely
than that Paul, knowing the skipper,
went in the Flying Turtle that day to the
cityG'
$50 he asked the captain, who said he
was not sure he didn't, and that some
times he had; and he shouldn't wonder.
Here is half link more says Foxpaw.
L will 60 in the Flying Turtle, and make
further Inquiries
sit was during this trip, only days
voyage, that he added three or four more
links 20 his chain. On closely question
ing the captain. the latter remembered
that ou the fatal day one of his passen-
gers from Mosscreek to the city was a
raw-boned. swarthy, ugly-looking man,
who had a dissi pated nose and a several
bladed ack-knife. He remembered a
saw blade in it, because it was the first
he ever saw: and had said at the time
that if he was as homely as the owner of
the knife, he should cut his throat with
it, and leave the consequences to other
people. Foxpaw now showed the rusty
knife, and the skipper said it might be
the same; and added that the strangers
name was Murdman or Markham, and
that on landing in the city, he had seen
him at the Jolly Tar tavern at the head
of the wharf"
'Seen Paul Picra?" said one listener,
much gratitied.
"Why, no. Pay attention! Seen this
ugly fellow--don't you see?"
LES. l. SCC, Out uch SCS
"But you must wait and see. or you
will certainly lose the links. Up goes
Solomon Foxpaw to the Jolly Tar, as
interested as if he had been Paul Picra's
only brother
did he have brother2"
"None of your business-and asked
the landlord to let him look at his arrival
book of three years before. The landlord
sent up garnet for it, and they overhaued
it together; and, sure enough! there stood
the name. at the proper date, in fierce,
big hand, of Mike Murdman, and
"Paul Picra.'
mo. What do you know about it?
Mike Murdman and Friend This is
the biggest link of the lot says Sol to
the landlord. DO you recollect what
kind of looking man his friend wasi
Ono says the landlord, but l recol-
lect that next morning the two had
quarrel. They had slept together, and
Murdman was charged by the other with
stealing his money in the night. But
Murdman swore no, and, as proof, said
he hadn't enough money to pay his own
bill and they went out quarrclling, with
out paying. And that's the last ever
saw of the other fellow, to my knowl-
edge.
"More links-I'm getting chainr
says Foxpaw. went out together, quar-
relling, about robbery. And did you ever
see Murdman againl
40 yes says the landlord. Hes
captain of brig now. He came back a
year afterwards, aud paid his bill, and