Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-16

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face of the body with my handkerchief, L
turned to examine these. l give the full
list in the hope that it may lead to the
Identification of the unfortunate man:
| l. Bowl of briarwood pipe, serrated at
the edge much worn and blackened;
bound with string at the screw.
I 3 Two patent lever keys, wards of both
broken.
8. Tortoise shell handled penknife, sill
yer or nickel, name plate marked with
monogram "B. K"
| f. Envelope, postmark undecipherable,
bearing a Victorian stamp, addressed to
"Miss Mon" (rest egible)-"ham'
int
.5 Imitation crocodile-skin note book, with
and half illegible; fifteen others filed
with private memoranda relating chiefly
to three persons-a Mrs. L. Singleton.
abbreviated several times to LOT Single"
"Mrs. S. May" and "Garmison," referred to
in places as Jerry" or Jack
6. Handle of small-sized hunting-knife.
Blade snapped short. Bucks horn, dia-
mond cut, with swivel and ring on the
butt; fragment of cotton cord attached.
1t must not be supposed that / have
inventoried all these thing on the spot as
fully as | have here written them down.
The note book first attracted my attention,
and put it in my pocket with view to
studying it later on. The rest of the arti-
cles | conveyed to my burrow for safety's
sake, and there, being methodical man,
inventoried them | then returned to the
corpse and ordered Gunga Dass to help me
carry it ont to the river front
| While we were engaged in this the ex-
| ploded shell of an old brown cartridge
dropped out of one of the pockets and
rolled at my feet Gunga Dass had not
seen it and | fell to thinking that man
does not carry exploded cartridge cases,
especially "browns," which will not bear
| loading twice, about with him when shoot
ing. In other words that cartridge case
| had been fired inside the crater. Conse-
quently there must be gun somewhere.
| was on the verge of asking Gunga Dass,
! but checked myself knowing that he would
lie.
We laid the body down on the quick
sand by the tussocks. 1t was my intention
to push it out and let it be swallowed up
the only possible way of burial that |
could think Of l ordered Gunga Dass to
go away.
Then gingerly put the corpse out on
the quicksand. In doing so-it was lying
face downward-I tore the frail and rotten
khaki shooting-coat open, disclosing
hideous cavity in the back. / have al
ready told you that the dry sand had, as it
were mummifed the body A moments
glance showed the gaping hole had been
caused by a gun-shot wound the gun
must have been fred with the muzzle al
most touching the back The shooting
coat, being intact, had been drawn over
the body after death, which must have
been instantaneous.
The secret of the poor wretch's death
was plain to me in flash. Some one of
the crater, presumably Gunga Dassr must
have shot him with his own gun-the gun
that fitted the brown cartridges. He had
never attempted to escape in the face of
the rifle fire from the boat.
THE MYSTERIOUS PAPER.
/ pushed the corpse out hastily and saw
it sink from sight literally in few Sec
onds. / shuddered as l watched. In
dazed, half-conscious way | turned to
peruse the notebook stained and dis
colored slip of paper had been inserted be-
tween the binding and the back, and it
dropped out as I opened the pages. This
is what it contained:
-Four out from crow clump; three left; nine
out; two right; three back; two left fourteen
| out; two left seven out one left; nine back,
two right; six back four right; seven back"
The paper had been burned and charred
at the edges. What it meant | could not
understand. l sat down on the dried
bents turning it over and over between my
fingers, until was aware of Gunga Dass
standing Immediately behind me with
glowing eyes and outstretched hands.
eHave you got it ?" he painted. "Will
you not let me look at it also? | swear
that | will return it,"
SCOT what? Return whatY l asked.
@That which you have in your hands.
1t will help us BOTH" He stretched out
his long, bird-like talons, trembling with
eagerness.
AZ could never find it." he continued.
sIe had secreted it about his person.
Therefore l shot him, but nevertheless l
|. was unable to obtain it."
Gunga Dass had quite forgotten his little
; fiction about the rifle bullet. | received
the information perfectly calmly. Moral
,, ity is blunted by consorting with the dead
who are alive.
"What on earth are you raving about
What is it you want me to give your"
"The piece of paper in the notebook. 1t
will help us both. Oh, you fool you fool
/, Can you not see what it will do for us
We shall escape p
His voice rose almost to a scream, and
! he danced with excitement before me.
> own was moved at the chance of getting
| away.
/, "Don't skip Explain yourself. Do yor
mean to say that this slip of paper will
! help us? What does it mean 2"
= "Read it aloud Read it aloud | beg
and pray to you to read it aloud"
. did So Gunga Dass listened delight
; eddy and drew an irregular line n the sane
a with his fingers.
h "See now 1t was the length of his CUR
barrels without the stock. | have seei
a those barrels. -Four gun barrels out from
: the place where | caught crows. Straigh
!. out do you follow me? Then left-ah
: how well do | remember when that MAJ
: worked it out night after night. Thel
nine out, and so on. Out is always straigh
= before you across the quicksand. He tol,
:, me so before / killed him."
. sBut if you knew all this why didn'
you get out before ?"
. 81 did not know it. He told me that h
i was working it out a year and half ago
a and how he was working it out night afte
= night when the boat had gone away AM
4 he could get near the quicksand safely
n Then he said that we would get away tc
gether. But / was afraid that he woul
r leave me behind him one night when h
had worked it all out, and so | shot hin
n Besides, it is not advisable that the me
who once get in here should escape. Onl
,r ], and am Brahmin."
,e The prospect of escape had brough
Gunga Dass' caste back to him. He stoo
h up, walked about and gesticulated "
nr olently.
is Eventually managed to make him tai
soberly, and he told me how this English