The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-08-04

of having come more recently from
the civilized, habitable portion OF the
world than his companions. He car
ried rifle slung by a strap over his
shoulder, evidently foreseeing no I'M
mediate use for it, and flask.
Cayley was too far aloft for their
conversation to be audible to him, but
he could hear that they were talking.
The leather-clad man appeared to be
doing the most of it, and, from the
infection of his voice, he seemed to
be speaking in English.
Presently he noticed that the leath'
er-clad man had forged little ahead
of his companions, or. rather-like
fash, this idea occurred to Cayley-
that the others were purposely lag
ging a little behind.
And then, before that sinister idea
could formulate itself into a definite
suspicion, his eyes widened with
amazement, and the cry he would
have uttered died in his throat; for
this man, who had so innocently al.
lowed the others to fall behind him,
suddenly staggered, clutched at some.
thing-it looked like thin ivory dart
that had transflxed his throat,
rugged it out in a sudden flood OF
crimson, reeled little and then went
backwards over the CLASSY edge Of q
fissure in the ice, which lay just to
the left of the path where he had
been walking.
From the instant when Cayley had
noticed the others dropping behind, to
the last glimpse he had of the body
of the murdered man could hardly
have been five seconds.
The instant the murdered man dis
appeared, another, who had not prevt
ously been with the party, it seemed,
appeared from behind hummock Of
ice. There could be no doubt either
that he was the assassin, or that he
was the commander of the little group
of skin-clad figures that remained.
The ambush appeared to have been
perfectly deliberate. There had been
no outcry, not even gesture of sur
prise or of remonstrance.
Cayley looked at the assassin curl
ously. He was dressed exactly like
the others, but seemed very much
bigger; seemed to walk with less of
a SLOUGH, and had, even to Cayley's
limited view Of him. an air of authori-
ty. Cayley was surprised at his not
being armed with bow, for he knew
of no other way in which dart could
have been propelled with power
enough, even at close range, to have
transflxed a mans throat. The assas-
sins only weapon, except for CULVER
full Of extra darts, seemed to be a
short blunt stick, rudely whitfield.
perhaps ten inches long. = Z ss5''as,l
Obedient, apparently, to the order
Of the new arrival. the party changed
its direction, leaving what was evil
IDENTIFY well-known path to them, for
seemingly more direct but rougher
route. And they moved now with an
appearance of haste. Presently they
scrambled over a precipitous ledge OF
ice and, in moment, were lost to
Cayley's view.
The world was suddenly empty
again, as II no living foot had ever
trodden It; and Cayley, lowering
there, a little above the level of the
ice, rubbed his eyes and wondered
whether the singular, silent tragedy
he had just witnessed were real, or a
trick the mysterious arctic light had
played upon his tired eyes. But there
remained upon that vacant scene two
material reminders of the tragedy to
which 1t had afforded a setting One
was smudge of crimson on the snow
the other, a little distance of, just
this side Of the icy ridge over which
the last Of the party had gone scram
bling a moment before, was the
strange looking blunt stick which he
had seen In the assassin's hand.
Cayley few little lower. his wings
almost skimming the ice. Finally
reaching the spot where the thing had
fallen, he alighted and picked it up
Whether its possessor had valued it
or not, whether or not he might BIZ
expected to return for it, Cayley die
not know, and did not much care.
| He stood for some time turning tn,
thing over in his hands. puzzling ovel
1t, trying to make out how 1t coult
have been used as the instrument O
propulsion to that deadly ivory dart
There was a groove on one side Of 1t
with small ivory plug at the end
The other end was curiously shaped
misshapen, rather. for. though it wal
obviously the end one held, Gayle.
could not make 1t fit his hand. what
ever position he held it In.
Giving up the problem at fast, +,
tucked the stick into his belt, slippet
his arm through the strap in tn,
framework OF his aeroplane and pre-
pared for fight. He had little dim
Guilty getting up, owing to the absenc,
of breeze at this point. Finally h,
was obliged to climb, with good dea
Of labor, the Icy ridge up which b,
had watched the little party of mur
derers scrambling.
At the crest he cast a glance
around, looking for them, but saw n,
signs Of them. Then, getting favor
able slant of the wind, he mounte,
again into the element he now Gale,
his own.
Five years before Philip Cayle
, would have passed for a good exam
pie of that type of clean-limbed. clear
minded. likable young man which tn
hOnofn1 ~ YryfnDipU hos ou~.>., :