Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-06-03

the sandy soil along the edge, seeking
ii possible 10 determine ii some one
had knelt there, rested his weight on
his hands, and peefed down into the
night.lilled chasm, into which he had
cast his fellow.
l bent and scanned the reddish.
brown sand closely. hunting for the
print Of hand IL, perchance, it
should be there.
And ii wasi found it, Close to
the edge. pressed we'll into the sur
fingers, spread out to support the
weight Ut The body which had rested
upon it, until IL lesmblel almost the
impression OF the claw ola a huge bird.
| caught my breath AS | found it,
and Semi Dual heard. He lifted his
eyes, and they met minee | nodded.
AT once he came over and sank down
beside me. Together We studied the
thing had found.
You were risht-&ou always are
right | sand in a voice which trem.
bled. He knelt here and rested on
his hand and looked over, and the
darkness. kept him from seeing the
ledgeand The body caught on it,
See, Semi, it is the mark OF hand
with long. slender fingers and mar
row palm"
My friend nodded. "One OF the
fingers is partly missing he pointed
out.
You mean in the print or ON the
hand" | questioned quickly. 1, too,
had noticed that the mark Of the little
finger was short out OF all proportion
To the others.
From the hand itself A yalua-
Bile clue" said Semi observe, Cor.
don, that the soil at the end OF the
short finger has not been disturbed
any more than that about the others.
The man who made this has lost
part OF one finger--the last on his left
hand
Sufficient for Identification In II.
self. | suggested.
Conclusive with the footprints"
said Dual.
NO doubt about it, agreed Os,
borne with emphatic assent.
That settles It," declared Heffy
who had drawn up beside us and lis
tened with poorly controlled impa.
tience. Come on. Wen go back
and hunt up guy with part of one
fin missing II he's got toOthpick feet
To boot. then we've got the goods ON
him for fair. gOtter hand il to your
friend. Glaze. He's the pure quill
But, senior questioned Laredo,
rs II not possible that one of the
searchers may have leaned so and
looked down, last night? | distinctly
heard it said they lowered light on
4 rope and, later, this guide here
Might not such a mark have been
mad at that time?"
1T might snapped Heffy shortly;
but we can soon iind> out, II any of
them searchers is shy a finger-tip or
Two, all right! if not, then the thing
holds, an bet you it does. The teller
...-, made TINS here print had long
hand, like he had feet that is, if it
was the same man, which is likely
Precisely" said Semi Dual.
Both hands and feet were long and
slender. Your point is we'll taken, Mr..
Helfy. Now, one moment more. Let
us find the place where Professor
Wingarde was killed
Killed" Helfy erupted. "Why--
say! What's wrong with this placer"
Much" said Semi. we all agree
that the murderer laid the body down
and pushed it over, and later looked
over to mark its fall. The mere fact
that he could lay it down and slide it
over the edge shows that the actual
death occurred at a different point,
and the assassin then carried his vic
tim TO this spot in order to dispose Of
the remains
"Cood glory, You're right again.
howled Hetly What do we do?
Look for more OF them slim sIppersY'
Semi nodded. start here at The
lip and walk in a hali-circle back to
the lip above. Return al wider dis
lance and repeat. In that way We
should cross the trail to this spot il
there is one.
Helty started turned TO assist
Osborne, too. Dual had stopped again,
and was carefully measuring the
length and breadth Of the hand
print. Laredo stiIl stood, coldly oh
servant, taking no part IN he hunt
which was forward He stood quietly
his hands thrust into his
pockets, his eyes peering Oft across
the distance of the landscape
But heffy found It.,
His lubilant cry took us to him. He
was pointing TO another OF the slender
footInai'ks, turned toward the lip OF
the canon. .from direction still far
ther along It's brink than we'had come
IT'S pressed pretty deep, this here
one" he declared with no little pride
Il reckon he was carryin' double
weight. all right. when he made it.
Come on. Glaze, Let's find some