The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-08-11

They came sooner than expected.
Barely three hours after leaving me
they came back, weary and exhausted
with the heat.
Lets have something to drink" OK
claimed Valley, who spoke first TN
done up
mixed two drinks and watched
them disappear.
'fWell?" l asked.
'All up" replied Dick. Dead as
door-nail, Must have died soon after
you left
What was it?"
Impossible to say responded Mar
tingale. 1.-THE body was quite cold
very sudden, and I hope painless.
Features quite composed; nothing sus-
picious about; no signs Of violence.
Heart or apoplexy, I should say. Poor
deVil!p
Give me another drink" added Dick.
did as I was bid in silence. | was
appalled,. Used as / had become to
face death in many forms, there was
something wistfully sad in the sudden
cutting off of this fine young life. He
could not have been more than three
or four and thirty; and he had been
so full of hope-counting on going
home and getting married. 1t was
shocking.
Il want you to go and look at him"
said Martingale Go and make a
careful examination, quite as if we
hadn't seen him. Then you can make
-, 20
in along with mine"
/ saw the good sense of the captains
orders, and at once started on my err
rand. Accompanied by my servant
Chuckerbutty, / descended to the vii
lage, where I found the residency
guarded by the dead mans retinue,
while little knot of natives hung
about and chartered, with frequent
glances toward the veranda. mount
ed the steps and entered the dead
mans room. 1t was precisely as the
others had said There he lay calmly
and naturally, at peace with all the
world in death as he had been In life.
IT surveyed the corpse as it lay, and
then, after glancing round to make
sure that no one fingered in the room,
L Sb1lpDcQ Tie hOuy VI I'D PdJdihoS ohN
carefully looked it over inch by inch.
No; there was no sign of violence; no
suggestion Of the slightest abnormafi-
ty. The body was exceptionally free
from marks Of any kind A mole on
the left shoulder and a scar on the left
knee, evidently very old one. Be
You'd these there was absolutely moth
ing-not SO much as pins prick.
Then examined the lips-I could not
open the mouth but found no siig-
gestion that could help me. The idea
Of poison, which had pondered over
on the way down, was untenabie. Poi
son left their traces in the eyes. the
rigor Of the muscles, the perfume Of the
breath No poison had been USED here.
1t was, after all, as Martingale had
said, heart or apoplexy, probably a
rush Of blood to the head.
So came away and returned to
camp, weary and sad. to discuss the
funeral with the others.
We buried him on the hillside that
night, and sent a full account of what
had happened to the resident at Bha-
mo. Then we lit our pipes and smoked
and thought--at least did, and so also
did Dick. rather fancy that Martini
gale, more hardened to death than
were we. and perhaps less imaginative,
had dismissed the subject from his
mind. Anyway, he appeared to resent
our silence, and chafed us more than
once about our troubled looks.
THE poor beggar had stroke,
there's no question about that; and he's
gone, poor chap So may you or be
tomorrow But what's the good of
being glum? 1T won't help him, and it
does you chaps deal of harm and
bores me. Pull yourselves together
and We'll have a game of dummy"
We got the cards and started game,
but it was a dismal failure The cap
| tain took dummy. but his adversaries
tried him severely. My thoughts We're
constantly straying, nor could recall
even the aces that fell; while Martini
gales irritability was brought to a cri-
sis when, towards the end of the second
round, Valley revoked. Then Martin
| gale rose.
II enjoy a game he said, land /
| don't mind winning your money; but
I'm not a thief, and / don't want pres
ents. Put the cards away, for heaven 8
sake I'll go and play spool with Tom
my"
| lie did not put his threat into execu-
| ton, however, but lay back in his chair
| and puffed hard at his MANILA in ST.
| lence.
| Dick broke the spell.
Look here, Freddy" he said ct
| don't mind what you say to me, and !
don't suppose Cranstone does either.
| OF course we have both been playing
awfully badly. We know that and adj
nit it, so you needn't get in a puff
| about it. Well, I'm going to tell you
something, whether you like it or no;
| and I'm very much mistaken if Crans-
| ton don't agree with me. I don't be-
| lieve-and I won't believe-that Wrot-
| lesley died a natural death. So you
| can report it as apoplexy or syneope, or
hydrophobia if you like, and you can
report me for characterization in the
bargain, but Til be hanged if I'll be-
lieve 1t if you have me court-martialed
| SO there"
Martingale started to rise from his
chair, but changed his mind, and, turn
ing towards me. put the question:
do you agree with Walley?''
"I do and DON'T" replied. 81, OF
| course, see that apoplexy or heart fall
ure are the only diseases that satisfac-
| torily account for the suddenness and
apparent ease of death; but 1 cannot
bring myself to regard poor Wrottesley
as having been subject to either
| "It isn't necessary for a man to be