The men obeyed in silence, and both boats pulled to the beach. When the corpse touched upon the sand, it was dragged to the shore. The whale line had been passed around the middle of the body, and through the ring of the fifty-six, evidently so that the weight would keep the corpse in a horizontal position on the bottom of the channel. The head was gone, and the flesh had been gnawed away by the fishes. It was a hideous object to look upon, and heart and flesh crept with horror as the eyes gazed upon it. The sheriff sent two of the men for the coroner, and covering the body with a sail from one of the boats, retired from the loathsome object, to await the arrival of the proper official. “This appears to alter the whole aspect of the case,” said Dick Birch, as they walked away from the corpse. “Yes,” replied Bangs, rather curtly. “Do you know whose body it is?” “Buckstone’s, of course.” “It may be Goodwin’s.” “In my opinion it is Buckstone’s. The man who was with him the night he was killed did all this work.” “Undoubtedly.” “I hope he didn’t cut the head off,” added Bangs, with a look of horror and disgust. “I hope not.” “What we have found out to-day will make it all the worse for the man who was with Buckstone.” “That is plain enough.” The sheriff glanced at Dick with a look of mingled pity and astonishment. “I am sorry for you, Mr. Birch,” said Bangs, apparently unable to conceal his thoughts any longer. “Why for me?” “Isn’t it clear to you that the person who came down here with Buckstone helped to murder him?” “It looks like it. And you mean to add, that you think I am the person?” “I certainly think so.” “Do you believe, if I had known where this body was, that I would have asked you to come down here, and bring it up from the bottom before my very eyes?” “Mr. Birch, I don’t wish to say much about the matter just now; but it looks very bad. It may suit your purpose to have this body found now. All I’ve got to say is, that the man who was with Buckstone helped to do the job,” replied Bangs, walking away from him. It seemed to Dick Birch, just then, that every thing he did to bring out the truth in regard to the murder more deeply involved himself. The very finding of the body by his agency was construed to his disadvantage.