whole hideous bulk was finally drawn up the
shelving bank and over the log and onto dry ground. Yorke shouted, and
Slavin, checking the horses, detached the rope from the double-trees.
Handing the lines over to Lanky Jones he joined the others, who were
critically examining their gruesome catch. To their surprise, although
the features were unrecognisable, the corpse was not so decomposed as
they had first imagined, the ice-cold water having preserved it to a
certain extent. Still firmly hooked to the rags of clothing--a
ludicrously grim joke--was the huge jumping, gasping trout which Redmond
had struck and lost.

Suddenly Yorke uttered a low exclamation. "Burke! Burke!" he said
tensely, "there you are! . . . Look at the right hand'"

The eyes of all were centered on the grimy, stiffened, clawlike fist.
They saw that two of the fingers were missing. An exultant oath burst
from Slavin. "By G----!" he said, with grim conviction, "it's him all
right!--that pore hobo shtiff--Dick Drinkwater. Eyah! fwhat's in a name?
Fwhat's in a name?" He pointed to the grinning jaws. "Luk at th' gold
teeth av um, tu!" he added.

The coroner was examining the almost fleshless skull. He gave a cry of
anger and dismay. "Good God!" he gasped. "Look here, all of you! . . .
This man's been shot through the head, too!" He indicated the small,
circular orifice in the occiput, and its egress below the left eye.

"Only an exceedingly powerful, high-pressure weapon could have done
that," he continued significantly, "both holes are alike--bullet hasn't
'mushroomed' at all."

"Eyah!" Slavin agreed wearily. "We know fwhat kind av a gun did ut. And
luk here!" he added savagely, pointing to the bare feet, "here's another
of Mr. Man's little jokes--no boots. If they'd have been lift on they'd
have shtuck tighter'n glue--in that water. Reddy was 'bout right,
Yorkey! Gully, d----n him! did frame us that day. Must have used thim
himsilf tu make thim thracks wid--early in th' mornin'--behfure he met up
wid us on th' thrail. Oh, blarney my sowl! Yes! Had us chasin' for a
whole silly week, all for--"

He broke off abruptly, choking with rage. For awhile, in silence, the
party gazed at the pitiful, hideous monstrosity that had once been a man.
Then the ever-practical Redmond proceeded, with the aid of a large
pebble, to burst, strand by strand, the wire which bound the stone to the
body.

"That stone, too!" said the doctor darkly.