San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-28
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thirty yards behind the boughs of o
breast-bigh shrub.
But it appeared that the watcher
desired no closer contact. He turned
and ran, heading upward for a wild
tract of stone and scrub that spread
beneath the last precipices of the
mountain. Mark strove to run the
other down as speedily as possible,
| that he might close, with strength
still sufficient to win the inevitable
battle that must follow, and effect a
! capture.
He was disappointed. however, for
while still twenty yards behind and
forced to make only a moderate
progress over the rocky way he saw
Robert Redmayne suddenly stop,
turn and lift revolver. As the red
man fired, the other flung up his
! arms, plunged forward on his face,
gave one conclusive tremor through
all his limbs, and moved no more.
The big man, painting from his exer-
tons, approached only to see that
his fallen victim showed no sign of
life. the other, with his face amid the
alpine flowers. remained where he
had dropped, his arms outstretched,
his hands clenched, his body still,
blood running from his mouth.
The conqueror took careful note of
the spot in which he stood and bring
ing knife from his pocket blazed
the stem of young tree that rose
not very far from his victim. Then
he disappeared and peace reigned
above the fallen.
Many hours passed and then, after
night had flooded the hollow, there
sounded from close at hand strange
noises and the intermittent thud Of
some metal weapon striking the
earth. The din assembled from rock
which lifted its gray head nbove n
thicket of juniper; and here, while
the flat summit of the boulder began
to shine whitley under the rising
moon, lantern flickered and showed
two shadows busy above the excava-
tiQn of an oblong hole. They num-
bitd together and dug in turn. Then
one dark figure came out into the
open, took his bearings, flung Ian
tern light on the blazed tree trunk,
and advanced to a brown, motionless
hump lying hard by.
The dark, approaching figure saw
the object of his search and came
forward. His purpose was to bury
the victim, whom he had lured
hither before destroying, and then
remove any trace that might linger
upon the spot where the body lay.
He bent down, put his hands to the
jacket of the motionless man, and
than hn OF,
strange. hideous thing happened.
The body under his touch dropped to
pieces. Its head rolled away; its
trunk became dismembered and he
fell backward heaving an amorphous
torso into the air. For, exerting the
needful pressure TO move a heavy
weight, he found none and tumblcd
to the ground, holding up a coat
stuffed with grass.
The man was on his feet in an in
slant, fearing an ambush ; but aston
ishmcnt opened his mouth.
"Corpo di Bacco.r he ,.hried, and
the exclamation rang in II note Of
something like terror against the
cliffs and upon the ear of his COM
panion. Neither rascal delayed a
moment. Their mingled steps in
stantly rang out; then the clatter
faded swiftly upon the night aud
silence returned.
Fog ten minutes nothing happened.
Next, out of a lair not fifteen yards
from the distorted dummy, rose a
figure that shone white as snow UNI
der the moon. Mark BrendOn APP
preached the snare that he himself
had set. shook the grass out of his
coat, lifted his hat from the ball of
leaves it covered. and presently drew
on his knickerbockers. having emp
tied them of their stuffing. He was
cold and calm. He had learned more
than he expected to learn; for that
startled exclamation left no doubt OF
all concerning one of the gravc-diS-
gers. 1t was Giuseppe Doria who
had come TO move the body. and
there seemed little doubt that Bren-
don's would-be murderer was the
othe:.
The operations Of the detective
from the moment that he fell bead