第64章

good mine way up in de valley?' `Oui, for sure.' 'You know de trail?' Oui, certainment.' 'Den,' he say, 'we go dere.' Nex' day we strike dat trail and go four or five mile.We come to dat valley--Mon Dieu! dere's no valley dere.We come back and try once more--dat blank valley, she's no dere.De Prospector he look much on dat map.

'Where dose tree peak?' he say.'Dere sure 'nuff, one, two tree.Dat valley she's right on line of dose peak.' 'Sure,' I say.'I see heem myself she's gone now for sure! Ah! Voila! I see! Beeg slide feel dat valley up! By gar! Dat's so, dat montin she's half gone, dat valley he's full up.Mon Dieu! De Prospector he's lak wil' man.

'Perault,' he say, 'I promise de ole man I go for fin' dat mine.'

'All right, boss,' I say, 'me too.' We make cache for grub, we hobble de ponee and go for fin' dat mine.Dat's one blank hard day.

Over rock and tree and hole and stomp he's go lak one deerhoun.'

Next day he's jus' same.For me, I'm tire' out.Well, we come home to camp, slow, slow, hungree, sorefoot--by gar! Sacre bleu! Dat cache she broke up, de grub he's gone! Mon Dieu! dat's bad--four or five day walk from home and no grub at all.""What did you think, Perault?" asked Sinclair."Did you see signs of any beast, bear or mountain lion?""Sure, dat's what I tink fus' ting, but de Prospector he's walk aroun' quiet and look everyting.'Perault, dat's fonee ting,' he say.'Where dose can' meat, eh?' By gar! days so, de bear he can'

eat dose can' meat, not moche!"

"Not likely, not bein' a goat," put in Ike drily.

"Well, we look aroun' ver' close, no scratch, no track.By gar! days no bear, for sure--dat's one bear on two leg.""I think," said Sinclair gravely, "that there is no doubt of that.

The question is, who did it? Gentlemen, it has been proved that these two men, Carroll and Crawley, were away during the week when this crime took place.We do not know where they were, but we must be fair to them.We may have our opinions about this, but in fixing the responsibility of this crime we must be exceedingly careful to deal justly with every man.I suggest we call Carroll."Carroll came to the meeting without hesitation, and with him, Crawley.

"We will take you in a few minutes," said Sinclair to Crawley.

"Now," he continued to Carroll, when Crawley had been removed, "we would like to know where you were last week.""That's nobody's blank business," said Carroll.

An angry murmur arose from the crowd.

"Carroll, this thing is too serious for any bluffing, and we are going to see it through.It is fair that you should know why we ask.

Let me give you the facts we have found out." Sinclair gave a brief resume of the story as gathered from Stanton and Perault.As Carroll listened his face grew white with fury.

"Does any blank, blank son of a horse thief," he cried, when Sinclair had done, "say I am the man that broke open that cache? Let him stand up forninst me and say so." He gnashed his teeth in his rage."Whin Tim Carroll goes to git even wid a man he doesn't go behind his back fur it, and yez all know that! No," he cried, planting his huge fist with a crash upon the table, "I didn't put a finger on the cache nor his ponies ayther, begob!""All right, Carroll, we are glad to hear it," said Sinclair, in a cold, stern voice."You needn't get so wild over it.You cannot frighten us, you know.Every man here can give an account of his doings last week--can you?""I can that same," said Carroll, somewhat subdued by Sinclair's tone and manner."I am not afraid to say that we went up to see a mine we heard of.""You and Crawley, you mean?" said Sinclair quietly.

"Yes," continued Carroll, "and that's fair enough, too; and we hunted around a week fur it, an' came back.""Did you find your mine?" asked Sinclair.

"We did not, and it's a blank, blank fool I was to listen to the yarn of the drunken old fool of a doctor.""Thank you, Carroll.Now, I do not think myself that you touched that cache.""If he did, he will swing for it," said a voice, cool and relentless, in the crowd.

Carroll started a little as he heard that voice.

"You shut up!" said Ike.

"Now, Carroll, we want you to answer a few questions," continued Sinclair."Mr.Crawley brought you to the camp where the Old Prospector died--is that right?""He did."

"And then you went east from that point over the mountain?""We did, and I am telling you we was looking for that mine we heard of.""All right," said Sinclair."How long did you stay in that neighbourhood?""A week or so."

"Did you see Mr.Macgregor or Perault while you were there?""That's none of your business."

"You'd better answer, Carroll."

"It'll be your business pretty blank soon!" drawled the voice again.

"Shut up!" said Ike."Give him a chance.""I think you'd better answer," said Sinclair quietly."You've nothing to hide, I suppose?""I haven't," said Carroll defiantly."We did see them two walking around, and we soon knew, too, that they didn't know any more than ourselves about that mine.Thin we came away.""Did you see their camp?"

"We did.We passed it by."

"Did you stop and speak to them?"

"No, we did not; for the good reason they weren't there.""Did you examine the camp or touch anything?""Nivir a touch, so help me God!" said Carroll, with great earnestness.

"Then did you and Crawley come away together?""We did."

"Where did you camp that night?"

"Over the mountain beyant, forninst the Old Prospector's grave.""And you came straight home next day?"

"We did, except for a luk at a couple of prospects we knew of.""Oh! How long did that take you?"

"It tuk me about a day, and Crawley a little less, I'm thinkin'.""How was that, Carroll?" enquired Sinclair.

"Well, he tuk one gulch and I tuk the other, and he got through before me, and the next day we came home; and that's the truth of it, so help me.""Then you were never separated from each other except for that one day?""That's true." There was no mistaking the sincerity and honesty of Carroll's manner.

"Any further questions to ask, gentlemen?""How long did you stop at Mr.Macgregor's camp when you was passing by?" asked Ike.