Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-11-13
leaving a track"

How can you be sure Of all this?'
| Because l found pipe Of tobac-
co not rightly lit, but just charred or
top, beside Lyons body, and newly
used match in his shack. The man
that killed him came downstream and
surprised him."
How can you tell he came down
stream?"
Because, if he'd come upstream
Lyon would "a seen him from the
shack" said November with admir-
able patience.
You say the shot was fired from
a canoe?"
"The rivers too wide to shoot
across, and. anyway, there's the
mark of where the canoe rested again
the bank. No, this is the work of a
right smart woodsman, and he's not
left me one clew as to who he is. But
I'm not through with him. mister.
Such men as he needs catching-lets S
boil the kettle"
We laid the dead man inside the
shack, and sat down beside a fire
which we built among the stones on
the bank of the river. Here NoVem-
Der made tea in true woods fashion,
drawing all the strength and bitter
ness from the leaves by boiling them.
I was wondering what he would do
next, for it appeared that our chance
Of catching the murderer was inf
Intestinal, since he had left no clew
save the mark on the bank where his
canoe had rested among the reeds
while he fired his deadly bullet.
put my thoughts into words.
You're right" said November.
when a chap who's used to the
woods life takes to crime, he's harder
to lay hands on than lynx in alder
patch"
why did not the murderer sink
Lyons body in the water? 1t would
have been we'll hidden there"
He couldn't trust her; the current
is sharp and would put the dead man
ashore as like as not" he replied.
And if he'd landed to carry 1t down
to his canoe, he'd have left tracks.
And more'n that, Lyon might "a laid
in that clearing till he was skeleton
but for the chance of that lumber
lack happening along. There's one
fact you haven't given much weight
to. This shooting was premeditated.
The murderer knew that Lyon would
camp here. The chances are a hun
dred to one against their having met
by accident. The chap that killed him
followed him downstream. Now, sup
pose 1 can find Lyons last camp, l
may learn something more. 1t can't
be very far off, for he had a tidy
sized pack to carry, besides those
green skins, which loaded him bit.
And, anyway, it's my only chance"
So we set out upon our walk. No
vember soon picked up Lyons trail,
leading from Big Tree to a disused
tote road, which again led us due
west between the aisles Of the forest.
From midday on through the whole OF
the afternoon we travelled until Joe
found the deserted camp.
The very first thing my eye lit up
on caused me to cry out in excite
ment, for side by side were two beds
of balsam branches that had evident
ly been placed under the shelter OF
the same tent cover. November, then
was right, Lyon had camped with
some one on the night before he died.
1 called out to him. His quite pa
tience and an attitude as If rather de-
tached from events fell away from
him like a cloak, and with almost un-
canny swiftness he was making his
examination of the camp. But l was
destined to disappointment, for, as far
as l could see, Joe discovered neither
clew nor anything unusual.
To begin with he took up and sift-
ed through the layers of balsam
boughs which had composed the BEDS
but apparently made no find. From
them he turned quickly to kneel
down by the ashy remains of the fire
and to examine the charred logs one
by one. After that he followed we'll
marked trail that led away from the
lake to a small marsh in the farther
part of which masts of dead timber
were standing in great profusion.
Nearer at hand a number of stumps
showed where the campers had chop
ped the wood for their fire.
After looking closely at these
stumps, November went swiftly back
to the camp and spent the next ten
minutes in following the tracks which
led in all directions. Then once more
he came back to the fire and me-
thodically lifted off one charred stick
after another. At the time l could
not imagine why he did this, but
when I understood it, the reason was
simple and obvious as was that of his
every action when once it was eX-
planned.
Before men leave camp they seem
instinctively to throw such tritles as
lIlcy uO HOl require VI "iSli ~ NNA' =
on with them, in the fire, which is
generally expiring. for a first axiom of
the true camper in the woods Is
never to leave his fire alight behind
him in case of chance ember start
ing a forest conflagration.
In this case November had taken
off nearly every bit of wood before l
heard him utter a smothered eXcla-
nation as he held up a piece of
stick
took it into my own hands and
looked it over. 1t was charred, but l
saw that one end had been split and
the other end sharpened.
What in the world is it?" 1 asked,
puzzled.
November smiled. Just evidence"
he answered
was glad he had at last found
something to go upon. for. so far, the
camp had appeared to produce parsi-
moniously little that was suggestive.
Nevertheless, ! did not see how this