Mowbray lying on her face on the floor, at the foot of the
bed."

"She was dead then, I suppose?"

"I thought so. I placed my hand on her bare shoulder, and it was cold."

"She had been dead several hours, then?"

"Two or three hours, perhaps, but maybe less, for the room in which she
lay was cold, there being no fire in it or in the adjoining rooms."

"What did you do when you found that she was dead?"

"I turned the body over, and saw by the discoloration of her face and
the protruding tongue that she had been strangled. Then I discovered the
cord, which was sunken deeply into the flesh of her throat, and so
hidden that I would not have discovered it had I not seen the end of
it."

"What did you do with it?"

"In the hope that she might not be dead, and that something might be
done to revive her, I managed, with great difficulty, to get the cord
untied and off her neck."

"What authority did you have for that? I suppose you know that it is the
coroner's duty to do things of that sort?"

"Yes; but, besides being a deputy marshal, I am also deputy coroner."

"I see. What did you do with the cord?"

"I don't remember. Oh, yes. I think I put it in my pocket. Yes, here it
is."

"Let me see it. Why, this is very peculiar. Do you know what sort of a
cord this is?"

"I don't. I never saw one like it before."

"I have. Notice its thickness, and how closely it is woven, and that it
is strong as a piece of wire."

"Yes, I noticed that when I found it. What sort of cord is it?"

"Japanese."

"Japanese, eh?"

"Yes, and a very rare sort of Japanese cord, too, fortunately."

"Why fortunately?"

"This is the cord that is used by the Japanese and East Indian secret
societies known as the Thugs or Thuggees."

"How do you know?"

"I have seen cords like this before in the Orient, where they were used
by Japanese murderers."

The cord passed from hand to hand as the major and the boys examined it
with curiosity and some degree of horror, while Stella positively
refused to handle it, or even look at it.

"Tell me more about Miss Mowbray's servants," said Ted, again taking up
his line of interrogation. "What were the names of the two Japanese?"

"The man was called Ban Joy, but generally was known as Joy."

"Was he pretty well known in the town?"

"No, he was uncommunicative, and spoke very little English. The only
persons who had much to do with him were the storekeepers of whom he
bought supplies fo