“There isn't any one else near us. If there is, he is in some other part
of the cave.”
“How came ye to find this fellow?”
“I was walking along, never thinking of anything of the kind, when I
came near stepping upon the body. I was never more scared in my life.”
“That's the way wid some of yees--ye're more affrighted at a dead man
than a live one. Let's see whether he has left anything that ye can
identify him by.”
Upon examining further, a silver-mounted revolver was found beneath
the body. It was untarnished, and seemingly as good as the day it was
completed. When Mickey came to look at it more closely, he found that
only one barrel had been discharged, all the others being loaded.
This fact aroused a suspicion, and, looking again at the head, a round
hole, such as would have been made only by a bullet, was found in the
very centre of the forehead. There could be but little doubt, then, that
this man, whoever he was, had wandered about the cavern until famished,
and, despairing of any escape, had deliberately sent himself out of the
world by means of the weapon at his command. But who was he?
Laying the handsome pistol aside, Mickey continued the search, anxious
to find something that would throw light upon the history of the man.
It was probable that he had a rifle--but it was not to be found, and,
perhaps, had vanished, as had that of Fred Munson. It was more likely
that something would be found in his pockets that would throw some light
upon the question; and the Irishman, having undertaken the job, went
through it to the end.
It was not the pleasantest occupation in the world to ransack the
clothing of a skeleton, and he who was doing it could not help
reflecting as he did so that it looked very much like a desecration and
a robbing of the dead. To his great disappointment, however, he failed
to discover anything which would give the slightest clue. It looked as
if the man had purposely destroyed all such articles before destroying
himself, and, after a thorough search, Mickey was compelled to give up
the hunt.
Five chambers of the revolver, as has been said, were still loaded, and,
after replacing the caps, the new owner was confident they were good for
that number of shots.
“Here,” said he, handing the weapon to the boy; “your rifle is gone, and
you may as well take charge of this. It may come as handy as a shillelah
in a scrimmage, so ye does hold on to the same.”
Fred took it rather gingerly, for he did not fancy the idea of going
off with property taken from a dead man, but he suffered his friend to
pursuade him, and the arrangement was made.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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