"Pete has been telling me who you are, Lieutenant," he said, as we shook hands, "and putting some other things together I can guess the rest. You came south on the _Warrior_." "From Fort Armstrong--yes; who told you this?" "Captain Thockmorton. I saw him in St. Louis, and he seemed deeply grieved by your sudden disappearance. No one on board was able to explain what had occurred." "Yet there were two men on the boat who could have explained, if they had cared to do so," I answered drily. "I mean Kirby and Carver; they were the ones who threw me overboard." He dropped into a chair, his keen, ferret eyes on my face. "Kirby and Carver? They went ashore with the Judge's body at the Landing. So there is a story back of all this," he exclaimed jerkily. "Damn it, I thought as much. Was Beaucaire killed?" "No--not at least by any violence. No doubt the shock of his loss hastened his death. Surely you must know that he risked all he possessed on a game of cards and lost?" "Thockmorton knew something about it, and there were other rumors floating about the Landing, but I have heard no details." "You did not see the two men, then?" "No, I was not at home, and they went on down the river the next day on a keel-boat. You saw the play?" "I saw the last part of the game and was convinced, as all the others present were, that the Judge was deliberately ruined for a purpose. I believe it was all planned beforehand, but of this we have no tangible proof." "His opponent was Joe Kirby?" "And a fellow named Carver, a mere hanger-on." Haines wet his lips, his eyes narrowing to mere slits, his professional nature coming to the front. "First, let me ask you why you believe Beaucaire was cheated?" he piped. "I know Joe Kirby, and consider him quite capable of such a trick, but we shall need more than suspicion to circumvent his scheme." "I have every reason, Haines, to feel convinced that both Kirby and Carver trailed Beaucaire up the river with the intention of plucking him. Kirby practically confessed this to me, boastingly, afterwards. All the way down he was bantering the Judge to play. That last night he so manipulated the cards--or rather Carver did, for it was his deal--as to deceive Beaucaire into firmly believing that he held an absolutely unbeatable hand--he was dealt four aces and a king." The lawyer leaned forward, breathing heavily. "Four aces! Only one hand is better than that, and it would be impossible to get such a hand out of one pack." "That is exactly true, Haines. I am no card player, but I do know that much about the game. Yet Kirby took the pot with a straight flush. Now, either he, or Carver, slipped an extra ace into the pack, or else Beaucaire did. In my opinion the Judge had no chance to work such a trick. And that's the case, as it stands." Haines jumped to his feet and began pacing the dirt floor excitedly, his hands clasped behind his back.