The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-11

naTm, ana pores me- Pull yourselves to-
geLher and We'll have a. game of dummy"
]. We got the cards and started game, but
It was dismal failure. The Captain took
severely. My thoughts were constantly
straying, nor could | recall even the aces
that fell; while Martingales irritability was
OF the second round, Valley revoked. Then
Martingale rose.
mind winning your money; but I'm not a
thief, and | don't want presents. Put the
cards away. for heavens sake. I'll go and
play spool with Tommy.
He did not put his threat into execution.
however. but lay back in his chair and
pulled hard at his MANILA in silence.
Look here, Freddy" he said, 1T don't
mind what you say to me, and | don't sup
have both been playing awfully badly. We
know that, and admit 1t, SO you needn't get
y, you aPoet a4D. Whether you ike 4 or no
and I'm very much mistaken If Cranstone
don't agree with me. don't believe-and 1
ural death. So you can report 1t as apo
pley, or syncope, or hydrophobia if you
dination in the bargain. but I'll be hanged
If FL belieye It If you have me court
Martingale started to rise from his chair.
but changed his mind, and. turning towards
me, put the question:
Don't you agree with Walley?"
II do and don't" replied. Il, of course.
see that apoplexy or heart failure are the
only diseases that satisfactorily account 1Or
the suddenness and apparent ease of death;
but cannot bring myself to regard poor
Wrottesley as having been subject TO
either.
5. 1T isn't necessary for man to be subject
to apoplexy in order to have II" he retort-
ed; you ought to know that The heat will
often bring it on. It's ridiculous trying to
create a mystery over such a business; of
make it impossible. For my own part,
think you chaps are a couple of hysterical
girls and I've had about enough, of you for
ting2le emptied his glass and quilted the
tent.
l glanced towards Dick.
Bring him back he said.
/ rose and got outside just in time to see
the Captain closing the inner flap of his
sleeping tent, which was pitched between
Valleys and mine, opposite where / stood.
We. sat brooding in silence, broken only
by the occasional buzzing of a mosquito.
Now and again the whirr of a. bats wing
as it careered over the canvas roof struck
our ear, but the rest was as still as death
We sat thus for the best part of an hour,
each full of his thoughts. For my part, /
was trying. to solve the mystery which, in
death of Wrottesley. I strained every
muscle of ingenuity to invent some pos
sible scheme of vengeance or vliainy which
could have resulted in causing q death such
as | had seen but to no purpose; and |
at tie length gave it up and resolved that,
and it was apoplexy or syncope.
Tn going to turn in said Valley sud-
denly. Il shall be glad when tomorrow
comes"
And 1 echoed the sentiment as we quilted
the tent together, and each made for his
Contrary, to expectations, I soon fell
asleep and slept soundly. Nor was my
repose broken by dreams.
H.
woke with start, to find Dick shaking
me by the shoulder. 1t was late, and the
sun was high in the heavens
Whats the matter?'' demanded feeling
a sense Of impending misfortune Nothing
wrong, I hoDe?"
''Freddy's gone in the nightv'
Gone! Bolted? Disappeared"
"Dead!' he replied, like the other chap"
Good God!'
We gazed at each other. We felt lost
Neither knew what to do or say
Valley pulled himself together first.
Come along" he said, and I went with
him towards the Captains quarters. We
drew back the flap and entered.
There, on the camp bedstead, lay Freder-
lex Martingale on his back, dead and cold.
His eyes were open, but his features were
composed. No sign of suffering no trace
OF anguish, was to be seen. There was
nothing to point to the cause of death. We
carefully felt the body; we searched the
bed; we stripped the corpse and sought
for wound. a drop of blood a little
puncture. There was nothing there
one Of US must go to Bhamo." 1 sug-
be inquired into
Valley nodded.
Better send he said zone of us may be
saw his point Who could tell who would
be the next victim?
W We left d guard over the tent, and, hav-
ing hastily dressed, we met again in the
mess tent. Then we drew up a report of
what had happened since dispatching our
details of the Residents death. and an
nounced our intention of keeping the body
ABOVE ground until the actual cause Of
n ,lta,, NAG oeen certified by professional
by two Silhs, and mounted on the onlv
three horses we had, started on the road
Then we busted ourselves with taking
steps to preserve the body. We summoned
all hands to our aid, and attached as thew
were to Martingaie, the Sil1hs worked with
a Will Going to that part of the hill where
tne Slope is steepest and where the incIina-
ton is toward the north and we'll shaded
from from, the f,, sun, we dug burrow like
heavy work, but by dusk we had got some
distance down. The burrow was four fest
mig horizontally We then after covering
the body, carried the bed on which it Law
ana placed it in the burrow, and then we
left it with two men on guard, to keep the
Pariah dogs away.
Then We held a council CT war We were
agreed that the occurrences of the past two
nights had been due to foul play Even if
one OF the deaths had been caused by apo
plexy, or heart failure. was it probable
same place to two of the four Englishmen
gathered together? The idea was absurd
and we realized that both the dead had
been murdered by some new ingenuity of
the DacoitS or FakirS who had been sent
10 dfSmay US. But what were we to do?
VINO would be the next victim? If either
valley or 1 were to go, what would be-
come of the men, all of them superstitious
to degree? 1t was patent that we must
not run any risk. And the only means to
insure this was not to separate. Till sue
cor came from Bhamo we must stand by
each other. 1t was Wednesday. We could
hope, in any case, for the doctor to arrive
on Saturday at latest; and II he tried his
best he might get to Friday. We
decided that would not go out Of each
others sight till then.
1t was a dreary vigil: That night we
slept in the same tent. At least Dick silent
and / tried to. Once did get off, but only
to endure a most hideous dream which
eliminated in my seeing mans head peep
under the bottom edge of the tent cloth at
the foot of my bed. 1t was but a dream
but the horror of it-for the mans face was
very hideous-woke me, and / sprang out
of bed to find-nothing. I even went out
side, to discover only the sentry at his post
and all well.
1 got UP and dressed, and tried to get in
terested in a copy Of the Times three
months old, but to no purpose, and so |
smoked and tried to think of pleasant
things until daylight came and Dick awoke
to laugh at my confessions.
...~~,l, u Wy