e with startled eyes. The latter's face registered
unutterable horror, and he shook as with the ague. Speech seemed beyond
him. He could only mouth and point back to the gloomy depths whence he
had just emerged.

"Here!" cried Yorke, with an oath, "whatever is the matter, Reddy? Man!
you look as if you'd seen a ghost!"

Then his own face blanched, as the shivering George bubbled incoherently,
"B-b-body! b-b-body! My God, Yorkey! th-there's a s-s-stiff d-down
th-there! Ugh! I d-d-dived right onto it!"

For a brief space they remained staring at each other; then, a strange
light of understanding broke over Yorke's face, and he made a snatch at
Redmond's clothes. "Come!" he jerked out briskly. "Get 'em on quick,
Red, else you'll catch your death of cold--never mind about drying
yourself--you can change when you get back."

In shivering silence his comrade commenced to struggle into his
underclothes and "fatigue-slacks." Yorke snapped the line and reeled in
the slack. "Stiff!" he kept ejaculating "stiff! Yes, by gad! and I can
make a pretty good guess who that stiff is! . . . Burke'll have all the
evidence he wants--now. You beat it, Reddy, as soon as you're fit and
get him. A run'll warm you up. The grappling-irons are back of the
stable. And say! tell him to bring a good long rope. Lord, I hope
Doctor Cox hasn't left yet. I'll stay here, Reddy. Hurry up!"

An hour or so later, a morbidly expectant group gathered on the
river-bank. Redmond, luckily, had reached the detachment just prior to
the coroner's departure, and that gentleman now comprised one of a party.
Slavin had hitched his team to a cotton-wood clump nearby, and was now
busily rigging the double set of three-pronged grappling-irons. When all
was ready, he motioned to his companions to stand back, and then, with a
preliminary whirl or two, flung the irons into the pool, some distance
ahead of the spot indicated by Redmond.

Slowly and ponderously he began the dragging recover, with the muscular
skill of a man long inured to the gruesome business. His first effort
was unsuccessful--weeds and refuse were all he salvaged. He tried again,
with the same result. Cast after cast proved futile. After the last
failure he turned and glowered morosely upon Redmond.

"'Tis either dhrunk or dhramin' ye must be, bhoy! There's nothin' there.
I've a good mind," he added slowly "a d----d good mind tu shove ye undher
arrest for makin' a friv'lu