第65章

"Don't be so blanked smart, Ike!" said Carroll, in savage scorn.

"I'm telling you that I didn't stop a fut.We saw their camp and their ponies and we went sthraight past.""Didn't stop to light your pipe or nothing?" enquired Ike.

"Blank your blank ugly mug!" roared Carroll, "do you mean to say,--""Oh, nothing," said Ike quietly."Just wanted to know how long you stopped?""And I am tellin' you we didn't sthop atall, atall, not a fut of us!

We didn't go near their camp within fifty yard.""Not fifty yards, eh? Well, that's strange."Carroll poured out a volley of oaths.

"You're sure about that fifty yards, Carroll?" asked Ike, in insinuating tones.

"I didn't pace it, you blanked fool! but I'll swear it wasn't more than thirty.""You're dead sure about that thirty yards, Carroll?" persisted Ike.

"I am that, and if you want to say anything more come outside!" said Carroll, glaring wildly at his interlocutor.

"Oh, thanks, I'm comfortable," said Ike mildly, as he, sat lack in his chair."Hope you are the same.""That will do, Carroll," said Sinclair."I am sure we all feel much obliged to you for your straightforward answers.If we want you again we'll send for you.""And I'll come," said Carroll, with another oath, passing out of the room.

"Now," said Sinclair, "we'll have Crawley."In a few moments Crawley came in, smiling and self-confident, with plenty of nerve, an abundance of wit, and a most ingenuous manner.

He met the chairman's questions with ready assurance and corroborated the story told by Carroll.He would frankly acknowledge that he had heard about the Lost River.Indeed, he had been more or less interested in it for some years and, though he did not take much stock in the doctor's word, still he declared that his own interests and the interests of Miss Mowbray, and indeed of all concerned, demanded that the thing was worth looking into.They visited the locality indicated by the doctor; they spent a week in exploration, but could find no trace of such a valuable mine as the doctor had described; and they had come away not very much disappointed; they had hardly expected any other result.They had seen Mr.Macgregor's camp, but they had not approached it; they passed by at some distance, leaving everything undisturbed.

"You camped that night near the Old Prospector's grave?" asked Sinclair.

"Yes."

"The next day you set off for home?"

"Exactly."

"You and Carroll were always together?"

"Certainly."

"You came home by the same trail and without any other explorations?"Here Crawley hesitated a moment."Well, yes, except that we ran up a gulch to look at some rocks.""Oh! Did you find anything?"

"Well, we think so," said Crawley pleasantly.

"You went both together up the gulch? You were never separated?""We went together, yes."

"Any further questions, gentlemen?"

For a time there was no response, then Ike came slowly forward to the table and stood by Crawley's side.

"You did not go near that cache?"

"No," said Crawley firmly.

"Are you mighty sure about that? Better be sure.""I am positive we did not go within twenty or thirty yards," said Crawley defiantly.

"All right, Crawley," drawled Ike, "better have a pipe now." And as he spoke he threw down a tobacco pouch on the table.

Crawley turned pale, gripped at the table to stead himself, gazed at the pouch lying before him for a few moments and then enquired in a voice that shook in spite of all that he could do: "Who gave you--where did you get that?"

"It's yours, aint it? Got your name on, anyway," said Ike."Where did you leave it?""Don't know," said Crawley, turning green with terror.

"Gentlemen," said Ike, addressing the crowd, "I aint agoin' to make no speech to this jury, but I want to remark that this here blank reptile is a blank liar, and if he aint a murderer 'taint his fault.

That there pouch of his," continued Ike, putting a long forefinger down upon the article lying on the table, "that there pouch of his was found by the 'Prospector,' as Perault calls him, beside that there empty cache.That's all I have to say." And Ike turned and walked slowly back to his seat.

In vain the trembling wretch tried first to bluster and then to explain.Carroll was again summoned and affirmed emphatically that he and Crawley had been separated for the greater part of one day, and that while together they had not approached Mr.Macgregor's camp.

"That will do, Carroll," said Sinclair quietly."We believe you entirely, and I would like to say that for my part I am mighty glad that you are entirely freed from suspicion.""That's so, you bet!" came from the men on all sides, as one by one they stepped forward to shake Carroll warmly by the hand.

"Now, gentlemen," said Sinclair, "make your decision.This man,"pointing to Crawley, "is charged with a serious crime.What is your verdict?"One by one the men threw into the hat on the table a bit of paper.

In silence Sinclair and The Kid read and recorded the ballots.When they had finished Sinclair stood up, looking sternly at Crawley, and said:

"Mr.Crawley, this Committee say unanimously that you are guilty.

Have you anything to say before sentence is pronounced?"The wretched creature fell on his knees with tears and cries entreating mercy.

"Take him away," said Sinclair sternly."Now, gentlemen, what have you to say? What shall be done to this man whom you have decided to be guilty of murder?"The discussion which followed was long and bitter.Sinclair and those who had come more recently to the country were for handing him over to the police.

"What's the good of that, Sinclair?" demanded Macnamara, one of the old-timers.

"Well, he'll get justice sure; he'll get sent up.""Don't know about that," said Ike."You see, you can't prove anything but stealin', and you can't prove that, for sure.They'll take him down to Regina, and they aint going to give him much down there for stealin' a little grub.""Well, what do you propose?" said Sinclair.