The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-07-04
CHAPTER II-Continued

geant. why, | never noticed"
perhaps not" interrupted Eccle-
share, quietly But you noticed that
some wild animal or animals had de-
StrOyed the features, and it perhaps
didn't occur to you to examine the
back part of the head. He was shot
through the head, from behind; shot
dead. And by an ordinary fowling-
piece. Look there!"
He held out a plump, smooth white
hand, Enclosed it, and showed us,
lying in the palm, couple of pellets.
"RiddIed!" he said, significantly
That's number twelve shot And that's
how he came 10 his death. Shot,
from an ordinary fowling-piece, at
close quarters"
| saw that Manners was consid-
erably taken aback by this opinion,
which was cOrrObOrated by the local
doctor, who just then came out and
Joined US. 1t upset the police SER
geant'S theory, for it was not likely
that the cattle drovers whom he suS-
pected WOULD carry a gun.
The two medical men went away.
EccIeshare previously turning to me
and saying that if there was anything
he could do for me, | was to let him
know, and Manners, for the first time,
betrayed symptoms of uneaSiness.
''This is a queer business, captain !"
he said. "Shot That never came
into my reckoning. Well!-I must be
doing something. But now, about
him?-you know where his relations
are to be found, of course? They'll
have 70 be communicated with at once.
Better telegraph to EN-"
The predicament There il was
full facing me. But | was not going
TO tell this somewhat thick headed po-
liceman that Salim MazarOff was real
~ Andrew Merchison, and that his
wife and daughter were within a mile
of u.s.
TN look through his papers, up
stairs, and see what | can find" an
swered, evasively.
That secret of MaZaroff's weighed
on me like lead. Ought | to keep ii
10 myself?-or ought ! to go straight
TO Marrasdale tower and tell Mrs.
ElphinstOne what | knew Ii seemed
TO me that | ought, foI there was this
about the situation-if MaZaroff was
really MerchisOn, then his wealth (and
] was something more than certain
that he was very wealthy would
surely go to his wife and daughter
Yet ii was no pleasant task that con-
frOnted me. There was Sheila, with
whOm-it was useless to deny i'll
was already in love: Ioathed the
idea of having TO tell her that the
father she had never known had been
foully murdered at her very door !
Yet
Even then the advice | was longing
for was coming to me as quickly as
an old horse and ramshacke fly
from the station beyond the hills
could carry it. Such an equipage
drove up to the WOodcock and from ii
descended first kesn-lOOking sharp
featured, middle-aged man, whom | at
once set down as either a solicitor or
a barrister. and second, a younger
man, smart, alert, well-dressed They
hurried into the hall through the open
door of my sitting room | heard my
name spoken. / went forward: the
legal looking man turned and gave me
a sharp inspection.
mir. Holt!" he said. 81 am Mr.
Lincoln Crole, of CroIe & Wyatt, so
licitOrs, Bedford row. | heard of Mr..
MaZaroff's strange disappearance from
the London papers iast night, and |
caught the night mail here. Now, has
Mr.. MaZarOff been founder heard off"
YES" | replied. "He was found
this morning. Dead. Murdered"
He gave two successive starts at the
last two words-then pointed to the
room which had just left.
LET US go in there" he said
"This," he went on, as ! led them in
and closed the door, lis Mr.. Frank
Maythorne, whom you may have heard
of as one of the cleverest private in
quiry agents living. Now Mr.. Holt.
let me explain-as | said just now,
read about this matter in the papers
your name, of course, appeared
and as | have acted professionally for
Mr.. Mazaroff since his coming to Eng.
land, | was much concerned. Finally
i decided to come down here, and to
bring Maythorne with me: | knew,
you see. that Mazaroff has no friends
or relations in this country, If any,
where, and-well, for certain reasons
] was anxious about him. Now we
know the worst -
was unfeignedly glad to see Mr..
Crole and his companion: it was
positive relief to be able to share
that awful secret with men accus-