The Washington times., 1912-08-19
CHAPTER vi (continued)

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IDENTIFY a fugitive or a tramp,
30 unkempt and travelstained was his
clothing He lay with his back to the
window, and now and then he moved
ana groaned in his sleep. But the con-
vict had not seen his fact; his eyes re-
garded nothing but the clothes.
To the convict these clothes, poor
and worn as they were. meant every
thing-freedom, liberty. life itself.
However ragged they might be, they
were not stamped with the hateful
badge of penal serviture In them a
man man might pass other men unchal-
ne wore that was impossible.
he must have those clothes.
de climbed up to the window again
and again looked in on the sleeper
Lndsay's sleep had changed again,
from the restlessness Of dreams to the
soundness of slumber; he lay STILL so
still that he might have been dead.
The convict hesitated no longer. He
stepped down from the window and
looked about him with fierce. resolute
eyes. A little distance away lay a
stout piece Of wood that had once
formed the Intel of a doorway. The
convict went over and picked 1t up.
There was a strong iron staple firmly
fixed in one end of 1t. and he ex-
Then he balanced the thing In his
hands, and when he was satisfied with
the swing of 1t he turned toward the
door of the hut.
II was gloomy and silent within,
there was scarcely the sound of the
sleeping mans breathing. He Law face
downward on the bracken, his head half
resting in the crook of one arm, his
whole attitude that Of profound uncon-
seriousness.
The convict measured the swing of
his rude weapon carefully. He swung
the wood up once, twice, before he
brought the iron staple upon the sleep
ing mans head.
Under the weight of that blow the
skull seemed to crack and crumble up
like the shell of an egg, and the body
answering to the thrill drew Itself up
with a writhing motion that suggested
the convulsions of creeping thing
trodden upon a garden walk.
The murderer stared half fascinated
and swung up his weapon again ready
for another blow.
The body arched itself. auiyered and
Ing at nothing. dropped nervously.
Then, growing accustomed to the
gloom, the convict saw that his blow
had smashed the top and back of the
nearer and gazed at his work.that one
terrible blow had done all. His breath
same sharply between his teeth, maxim g
a low. kissing sound, and presently he
put out his foot and touched the body
with his toe. Ia
Suddenly the convict was filled with
a startling fury. He sprang upon the
corpse and began to tear the clothes
from 1t. There was gaping red seam
In the dark hair-it would not do to
have the blood on the clothes He tore
away at the travel-stained garments garments as
At last he divested the body OF every
thing, and with an equally feverish
rapidity he proceeded to strip himself
corpse. not out of his regard for It;
but because he wished to rid himself
of the sight of both clothes and body:
When he had unrobed completely ne
proceeded to assume the dead man s
Clothing, even to the stockings and
boots. This done, he felt safer. and put
his hands in the pockets of the trousers
in search of anything that might be
The murderer's left hand encoun-
tered small leather bag, the right a
few coins. He drew out these finds
simultaneously. and stared, first at the
money. A sovereign, two half crowns
two or three sEillings and some cop
pers. Why, it was fortune.
Now for the little bag; what did thai
containHs He united the string and
shook out the contents into his open
palm. A sharp exclamation broke from
him as the gems caught the fading sun
light.
The convict knew diamonds when he
saw them. and he knew, too. that he
had seen these particular ones before
His mind went back to the days wher
I.al Dass, had planned and executed the
daring robbery that made them owners
of the stones he now stared at. Yes
they were the same. He counted them
over rapidly; sixty-three in all. How
or earth had they come here after al
that had taken place? He suddenly
and rushed to the dead man s. side. He
turned the body over and stared at the
face and leaped away in sheer fright.
1t was Lindsay; he had killed his
brother thief.
Vassilli looked around him. 1t seemed
to him that Lal Dass might be lurk
ing near at hand-Lal Dass, subtle al
a snake, more to be feared. than a CO.
bra. The thought of him reused tht
murderer to acton.
The thing was done now, and there
was nothing better than to hide it
the shade. covered it over with the
prison dress, and heaped furze and
bracken over everything. AS he worked
his mind worked, too. At last, by the
strangest of chances, the diamonds
were his.
He had killed two men for them. ant
they were his.
a new thought occurred to him. Hu
hand, searching the pockets of the dea.
matches. To act on the thought wa
the affair of a second.
He struck light, stopped down anC
set fire to the dry bracken in severa
places.
The flames ran cracking about tn,
floor and thick smoke arose anc
curled toward the window place.
Vassilli quilted the hut. For mo
ment he fingered outside. sligh
breeze vas springing up with the com
: ing twilight, and the blaze of the dry
ing stuff inside the hut was being fan
ned into a persistent roar. He looked
within Already the place was a roa
and rattle of fame. He said to himsei
that the fire would do it's work we'll
He turned away, intent now on fina
escape.
Suddenly Vassilli paused. Below hin
on his left. advancing along the roaC
that winds beneath Ryder's Hill to
ward Buckfastieigh Moor, he saw mel
riding on horses. He caught the CLEAN
Of steel. coming and going, now an
then.
Vassilli's heart filled with rage an
anger; he was followed. He turne'
hastily TO the right, only to catch sign
OF more men, armed and mounted, com
Ing along the track from Erme Hea
toward Quickbeam Hill. At that h
stood, wondering which way to go. H
turned, facing northward, and as h
turned he saw a party of warders al
Yancing up the long slope from Ann