The record-union., 1896-08-09


seen him. Then you can make a sep
arate report, and can send yours along
with mine
l saw the good sense of the Captains
orders, and at once started on my err
rand. Accompanied by my servant
Chuckerbutty, l descended to the viii
Iage, where 1 found the residency
guarded by the dead mans retinue,
while little knot of natives hung about
and chartered with frequent glances to-
wards the veranda. l mounted 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. l surveyed the corpse
as it lay, and then, after glancing
around to make sure that no one lin
gered in the room, stripped the body
of it's pajamas and carefully looked it
over inch by inch. No; there was no
sign of violence; no suggestion of the
| slightest abnormality. The body was
exceptionally free from marks of any
| kind. mole on the left shoulder and
scar on the left knee, evidently very
old one. Beyond these there was alb
| solutely nothing-not so much as pins
| prick.
Then I examined the lips-I could not
| open the mouth-but found no sugges-
| tion that could help me. The idea of
| poison, which l had pondered over on
the way down, was untenable. Poisons
| 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 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 full account of what
had happened to the Resident at
Bhamo. Then we lit our pipes and
| smoked and thought-at least / did,
| and so also did Dick. I rather fancy
that Martingale, more hardened to
death than were we, and perhaps less
! imaginative had dismissed the sub
| ject from his mind. Anyway, he ap-
peared to resent our silence, and
chaffed us more than once about our
troubled looks.
"The poor beggar had a stroke,
/ >
gone poor chap. So may you or 1 be
tomorrow. But what's the good of be-
ing glum? 1t won't help him, and it
does you chaps a deal of harm, and
bores me- Pull yourselves together and
We'll have 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 l recall
even the aces that fell; while Martin
| gales irritability was brought to a
crisis when, towards the end of the sec
ond round, VALLEY revoked. Then
Martingale rose.
| II enjoy the game" he said, land I
don't mind winning your money; but
I'm not thief and I don't want pres
ents. Put the cards away, for Heav
ems sake. I'll go and play spool with
Tommy"
| He did not put his threat into execu-
ton, however, but lay back in his chair
and puffed hard at his MANILA in
silence
| Dick broke the spell.
Look here Freddy" he said, "I
don't mind what you say to me, and 1
don't suppose Cranstone does either. OF
| course we have both been playing aw-
| fully badly. We know that, and admit
| it, SO you needn't get in puff about ie.
| Well I'm going to tell you something,
| whether you like it or no; and I'm very
much mistaken if Cranstone don't agree
| with me. 1 don't believe-and I won't
| believe-that Wrottesley died natural
death. So you can report it is apoplexy,
or syncope or hydrophobia if you like,
and you can report me for insubordina-
ton in the bargain, but I'll be hanged if
I'll believe it 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?"
| Il do and I don't" / replied. ST. of
course, see that apoplexy or heart fail
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 Wrottes-
| ley as having been subject to either
| 1T isn't necessary for a man to be
subject to apoplexy in order to have it, q"
he retorted; you ought to know that
| The heat will often bring it on. It's RI
| diculous trying to create a mystery
over such business; of course it was
unexpected, but that doesn't 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 one day, so I'm going to turn
| ir,'' and Martingale emptied his glass
| and quilted the tent.
| I glanced towards Dick.
| Bring him back he said.
| I 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 I stood
| We sat brooding in silence, broken
| only by the occasional buzzing of a mos
| quito Now and again the whirr of a
| bats wing as it careered over the can
| vas 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 my own
mind, l felt certain overhung the death
| of Wrottesley. / strained every muscle
| of ingenuity to invent some possible
| scheme of vengeance or villainy which
| could have resulted in causing death
| such as l had seen, but to no purpose,
and at length 1 gave it up and resolved
that, after all, perhaps the Captain was
right, and it was apoplexy or syncope.
I'm going to turn in," said Valley
suddenly II shall be glad when to-
morrow comes.''
And I echoed the sentiments as We
quilted the tent together, and each