by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER V
FOLLOWING A TRAIL
Frank had started early for a walk with one of his school friends.Returning through the town at three in the afternoon, he saw peopletalking in groups. They presently met one of their chums.
"What is going on, Vincent?"
"Why, have you not heard? Faulkner, the magistrate, has been shot."
"Shot!" the two boys exclaimed. "Do you mean on purpose oraccidentally?"
"On purpose. The servants heard a gun fired close by, and a minute laterhis horse galloped up to the door. Two men ran along the drive, and, nota hundred yards from the house, found him lying shot through the body.Three of the doctors went off at once. Thompson came back ten minutesago, for some instruments, I believe. He stopped his gig for a moment tospeak to the Rector, and I hear he told him that it might be as well forhim to go up at once, as there was very little probability of Faulkner'sliving through the night."
"Well, I can't say that I am surprised," Frank said. "He has madehimself so disliked, there are so many men who have a grudge againsthim, and he has been threatened so often, that I have heard fellows saydozens of times he would be shot some day. And yet I suppose no one everreally thought that it would come true; anyhow it is a very bad affair."
Leaving the other two talking together, Frank went on home. Mrs.Troutbeck was greatly shocked at the news.
"Dear, dear!" she said, "what dreadful doings one does hear of. Whowould have thought that a gentleman, and a magistrate too, could havebeen shot in broad daylight within a mile or two of us. I did not knowhim myself, but I have always heard that he was very much disliked, andit is awful to think that he has been taken away like this."
"Well, Aunt, I don't pretend to be either surprised or shocked. If a manspends his life in going out of his way to hunt others down, he must notbe surprised if at last one of them turns on him. On the bench he washated; it was not only because he was severe, but because of hisbullying way. See how he behaved in that affair with Julian. I can't sayI feel any pity for him at all, he has sent many a man to the gallows,and now his time has come."
At five o'clock it was already dusk, the shutters had been closed, andthe lamp lighted. Presently the servant entered.
"There is someone wants to speak to you, Master Frank."
Frank went out into the hall. The head of the constabulary and two ofhis men were standing there. Much surprised, Frank asked the officerinto the other sitting-room.
"What is it, Mr. Henderson?" he said.
"It is a very sad business, a very sad business, Mr. Wyatt. Your brotheris not at home, I hear?"
"No. Julian went over this morning to have a day's rabbit-shooting withDick Merryweather. I expect it won't be long before he is back. There isnothing the matter with him?" he asked, with a vague feeling of alarm atthe gravity of the officer's face.
"It is a very painful matter, Mr. Wyatt; but it is useless trying tohide the truth from you, for you must know it shortly. I hold a warrantfor your brother's arrest on the charge of attempted wilful murder."
Frank's eyes dilated with surprise and horror.
"You don't mean--" he gasped, and then his faith in his brother came tohis aid, and he broke off indignantly: "it is monstrous, perfectlymonstrous, Mr. Henderson. I suppose it is Faulkner, and it is because ofthat wretched smuggling business that suspicions fall on him, as ifthere were not a hundred others who owe the man a much deeper grudgethan my brother did; indeed he had no animosity against him at all, forJulian got the best of it altogether, and Faulkner has been hissed andhooted every time he has been in the town since. If there was anyill-feeling left over that matter, it would be on his part and not onJulian's. Who signed the warrant? Faulkner himself?"
"No; it is signed by the Colonel and Mr. Harrington. They took the dyingdeposition of Mr. Faulkner. There is no harm in my telling you that,because it must be generally known when your brother is brought up, buttill then please do not let it go further. He has sworn that he overtookMr. Wyatt two or three hundred yards before he got to his own gate.There was an altercation between them, and he swears that your brotherused threats. He had a double-barrelled gun in his hand, and as Faulknerwas riding up the drive to the house he was fired at from the trees onhis left, and fell from his horse. Almost directly afterwards Mr. Wyattran out from the spot where the gun had been fired. Thinking he wouldfinish him if he thought he was still alive, Mr. Faulkner closed hiseyes and held his breath. Your brother came up and stood over him, andhaving satisfied himself that he was dead, ran off through the treesagain."
"I believe it is a lie from beginning to end," Frank said passionately."Julian has brought him into disgrace here, and the fellow invented thischarge out of revenge. If it had been in the road, and Faulkner hadstruck Julian as he did before, and Julian had had his loaded gun in hishand, I don't say but that in his passion he might have shot him; still,I don't believe he would, even then. Julian is one of the best-temperedfellows in the world; still, I would admit that, in the heat of themoment, he might raise his gun and fire, but to say that he loaded hisgun after Faulkner had gone on--for I am sure it was empty as he camealong, as I have never known him to bring home his gun loaded--and thathe then went and hid behind a tree and shot a man down. Why, I would notbelieve it if fifty honest men swore to it, much less on the oath of afellow like Faulkner."
"I can't say anything about that, Mr. Wyatt; I have only my duty to do."
"Yes, I understand that, Mr. Henderson. Of course he must be arrested,but I am sure no one will believe the accusation for a minute. Oh!" heexclaimed, as a fresh idea struck him, "what was Faulkner shot with?"
"It is a bullet wound."
"Well, that is quite enough," Frank exclaimed triumphantly. "Julian hadhis double-barrelled gun with him, and had been rabbit-shooting; and ifit had been he who fired it would have been with a charge of shot. Youdon't suppose he went about with a bullet in his pocket to use in casehe happened to meet Faulkner, and have another row with him. Juliannever fired a bullet in his life, as far as I know. There is not such athing as a bullet-mould in the house."
The officer's look of gravity relaxed. "That is important, certainly,"he said, "very important. I own that after hearing the deposition readit did seem to me that, as the result of this unfortunate quarrel, yourbrother might have been so goaded by something Mr. Faulkner said or did,that he had hastily loaded his gun, and in his passion run across thewood and shot him down. But now it is clear, from what you say, that itis most improbable he would have a bullet about him, and unless it canbe proved that he obtained one from a gunmaker or otherwise, it is avery strong point in his favour. I suppose your brother has not returnedthis afternoon?"
"No. I asked the servant, when I got home at three, whether he hadreturned, though I did not expect him back so soon, and she said that hehad not come in, and I am sure he has not done so since."
"Then I will not intrude any longer. I shall place one of my men infront of the house and one behind, and if he comes home his arrest willbe managed quietly, and we will not bring him in here at all. It willsave a painful scene."
When the officer had left, Frank returned to his aunt.
"What is it, Frank?" she asked.
"Well, Aunt, it is a more absurd affair than the other; but, absurd asit is, it is very painful. There is a warrant out for the arrest ofJulian on the charge of attempting to murder Mr. Faulkner."
Mrs. Troutbeck gave a cry, and then burst into a fit of hystericallaughter. After vainly trying to pacify her, Frank went out for theservant, but as her wild screams of laughter continued he put on hishat and ran for the family doctor, who lived but a few doors away. Hebriefly related the circumstances of the case to him, and then broughthim back to the house. It was a long time before the violence of theparoxysm passed, leaving Mrs. Troutbeck so weak that she had to becarried by Frank and the doctor up to her room.
"Don't you worry yourself, Aunt," Frank said, as they laid her down uponthe bed; "it will all come out right, jus
t as the last did. It will allbe cleared up, no doubt, in a very short time."
As soon as the maid had undressed Mrs. Troutbeck, and had got her intobed, the doctor went up and gave her an opiate, and then went down intothe parlour to Frank, who told him the story in full, warning him thathe must say nothing about the deposition of Mr. Faulkner until it hadbeen read in court.
"It is a very grave affair, Frank," the old doctor said. "Having knownyour brother from his childhood, I am as convinced as you are that,however much of this deposition be true or false, Julian never fired theshot; and what you say about the bullet makes it still more conclusive,if that were needed--which it certainly is not with me. Your brother hadan exceedingly sweet and even temper. Your father has often spoken to meof it, almost with regret, saying that it would be much better if he hada little more will of his own and a little spice more of temper. Still,it is most unfortunate that he hasn't returned. Of course, he may havemet some friend in the town and gone home with him, or he may havestayed at Mr. Merryweather's."
"I don't think he can have stopped in the town anyhow," Frank said; "forthe first thing he would have heard when he got back would have been ofthe shooting of Faulkner, and he would have been sure to have come hometo talk it over with me. Of course, he may have stopped with theMerryweathers, but I am afraid he has not. I fancy that part ofFaulkner's story must be true; he could never have accused Julian if hehad not met him near his gate--for Julian in that case could have easilyproved where he was at the time. No, I think they did meet, and verylikely had a row. You know what Faulkner is; and I can understand thatif he met Julian he would most likely say something to him, and theremight then be a quarrel; but I think that his story about Julian comingout and looking at him is either pure fancy or a lie. No doubt he wasthinking of him as he rode along; and, badly wounded as he was, perhapsaltogether insensible, he may have imagined the rest."
"That is all quite possible," the doctor agreed; "but in that caseJulian's not coming home is all the more extraordinary. If he metFaulkner between two and three o'clock, what can he have been doingsince?"
This was a question Frank could not answer.
"I can't tell, sir," he said after a long pause; "I really can'timagine. Still, nothing in the world would make me believe that Juliandid what he is charged with."
Several times Frank went outside the door, but the constable was stillthere. At last, after sitting and looking at the fire for some time heput on his cap and went to the residence of the chief constable.
"Excuse me, Mr. Henderson, but I have been thinking it over ever sinceyou left. Whoever did this murder did not probably return to the road,but struck off somewhere across the fields. There was snow enough in themiddle of the day to cover the ground; it stopped falling at twoo'clock, and has not snowed since. Might I suggest that in the morning asearch should be made round the edge of the wood. If there arefootprints found it might be of great importance."
"You are quite right, Mr. Wyatt, and I had already determined to gomyself, with a couple of constables, at daylight."
"May I go with you, sir?"
"If you please. But you must remember that the evidence of footprintswhich we may find may be unfavourable to your brother."
"I have not the slightest fear of that," Frank said confidently.
"Very well, then, Mr. Wyatt. The two constables will be here athalf-past seven, and I shall be ready to start with them at once. Shouldyou by any chance be late, you will, no doubt, be able to overtake usbefore we get there."
The next morning Frank was at the office half an hour before theappointed time. Fortunately no snow had fallen in the night. The chiefconstable looked grave and anxious when the search began; Frank wasexcited rather than anxious. He had no fear whatever as to the result ofthe investigation; it would disclose nothing, he felt certain, toJulian's disadvantage. The continued absence of the latter wasunaccountable to him, but he felt absolutely certain that it would beexplained satisfactorily on his return.
The moment they got across the hedge into the fields skirting the woodthe chief constable exclaimed:
"Stay, men; here are footprints by the edge of the trees! Do not comeout until I have carefully examined them. Do you not think," he went on,turning to Frank, "that it would be much better that you should not gofurther with me, for you see I might have to call you as a witness?"
"Not at all, Mr. Henderson; whatever we find, I shall have no objectionto being a witness, for I am certain that we shall find nothing thatwill tend to incriminate my brother. I see what you are thinkingof--that these footprints were Julian's. That is my own idea too. At anyrate, they are the marks of a well-made boot of large size, withoutheavy nails."
The constable nodded. "There are two sets," he said, "one going eachway; and by the distance they are apart, and the fact that the heel isnot as deeply marked as the rest of the print, whoever made them wasrunning."
"Certainly," Frank agreed; "he ran up to the hedge and then turned. Whyshould he have done that?"
"Probably because he saw some vehicle or some persons walking along theroad, and did not wish to be seen."
"Possibly so, Mr. Henderson; but in that case, why did he not keep amongthe trees both coming and going, instead of exposing himself, as he musthave done running here; for the hedge is thin, and any one walkingalong, much less driving, could have seen him."
Mr. Henderson looked at Frank with a closer scrutiny than he had beforegiven him.
"You are an acute observer, Mr. Wyatt. The point is an important one. Aman wishing to avoid observation would certainly have kept among thetrees. Now, let us follow these footprints along; we may learn somethingfurther."
Presently they came to the point where Julian had come out from thewood.
"You see he was in the wood, Mr. Wyatt," the constable said.
"I quite see that," Frank said. "If these are the marks of Julian'sboots--and I think they are--we have now found out that he came out ofthe wood at this point, ran for some purpose or other, and without anattempt at concealment, as far as the hedge; then turned and ran backagain, past the point where he had left the wood. Now let us see what hedid afterwards--it may give us a clue to the whole matter."
Fifty yards further they came on the spot where Julian had turned off onthe poacher's track.
"There it is, Mr. Henderson!" Frank exclaimed triumphantly. "Another mancame out of the wood here--a man with roughly-made boots with hob-nails.That man came out first; that is quite evident. The tracks are all in aline, and Julian's are in many places on the top of the other's. Theywere both running fast. But if you look you will see that Julian'sstrides are the longest, and, therefore, he was probably running thefastest."
"It is as you say, Mr. Wyatt. The lighter footprints obliterate those ofthe heavier boots in several places. What can be the meaning of this,and what can the second man have been doing in the wood?"
"The whole thing is perfectly plain to me," Frank said excitedly."Julian was in the road, he heard the report of the gun close by in thewood, and perhaps heard a cry; he jumped over the hedge and made for thespot, and possibly, as Mr. Faulkner said, ran into the drive and stoopedover him; then he started in pursuit of the murderer, of whom he maypossibly have obtained a sight. There was not enough snow under thetrees for him to follow the footprints, he therefore ran to the edge ofthe wood, and then to the road, in search of the man's track. Then heturned and ran back again till he came upon them leaving the wood, andthen set off in pursuit."
"By Jove! Mr. Wyatt," the officer said, "I do think that yourexplanation is the right one. Give me your hand, lad; I had no moredoubt five minutes ago that your brother had, in a fit of passion, shotMr. Faulkner than I have that I am standing here now. But I declare Ithink now that he acted as you say. How you have struck upon it beats mealtogether."
"I have been thinking of nothing else all the night, Mr. Henderson. Iput myself in Julian's position, and it seemed to me that, hearing a gunfired so close at hand, even if he did not hear a
cry, Julian knowinghow often the man had been threatened, might at once have run to thespot, and might have behaved just as Faulkner says he did. All thatseemed to me simple enough; Julian's absence was the only difficulty,and the only way I could possibly account for it, was that he hadfollowed the murderer."
"It was very imprudent," Mr. Henderson said gravely.
"Very; but it was just the sort of thing Julian would have done."
"But, however far he went, he ought to be back before this."
"That is what I am anxious about, Mr. Henderson. Of course he ought tobe back. I am terribly afraid that something has happened to him. Thisman, whoever he was, must have been a desperate character, and havingtaken one life from revenge, he would not hesitate to take another tosecure his own safety. He had a great advantage over Julian, for, as weknow, his gun carried bullets, while Julian had nothing but small shot.Which way shall we go next, Mr. Henderson--shall we follow the track orgo into the wood?"
"We will go into the wood; that will take us a comparatively short time,and there is no saying how far the other may lead us. But, before we doso, I will call up my two men, take them over the ground, and show themthe discoveries we have made. It is as well to have as many witnesses aspossible."
The two constables were called up and taken along the line of track, andthe chief constable pointed out to them that the man with well-madeboots was evidently running after the other. Then they entered the wood.Carefully searching, they found here and there prints of both the boots.They went out into the drive, and, starting from the spot where Mr.Faulkner had been found, made for a large tree some thirty yards to theleft.
"Just as I thought," Mr. Henderson said. "Someone has been standinghere, and, I should think, for some little time. You can see that theground is kicked up a bit, and, though it was too hard to show the marksof the boots plainly, there are many scratches and grooves, such aswould be made by hob-nails. Now, lads, search about closely; if we canfind the wad it will be a material point."
After five minutes' search one of the men picked up a piece ofhalf-burned paper. Frank uttered an exclamation of satisfaction as heheld it up.
"Julian always used wads. This never came from his gun. Now let us goback to the tree, Mr. Henderson, and see which way the man went afterfiring the shot."
After careful search they found the heavy footprints at several spotswhere the snow lay, and near them also found traces of the lighterboots. The trees then grew thicker, but following the line indicated bythe footprints, they came to the spot where he had left the wood.
"You see, Mr. Henderson," Frank said, "Julian lost the footprints justwhere we did, and bore a little more to the left, striking the edge ofthe wood between where the man had left it and the road. Now, sir, wehave only to find the spot where Julian first left the road, and try totrace his footsteps from there to the spot where Mr. Faulkner was lying.We know that the shot was fired from behind that tree--and if mybrother's footsteps miss this spot altogether, I think the case will beabsolutely proved."
They went back into the road, and found where Julian had crossed theuntrodden snow between it and the hedge, and had pushed his way throughthe latter. It was only here and there that footprints could be found;but, fortunately, some ten yards to the right of the tree there was anopen space, and across this he had evidently run.
"You have proved your case, Mr. Wyatt," the chief constable said,shaking Frank cordially by the hand. "I am indeed glad. Whoever the manwas who shot Mr. Faulkner, it was certainly not your brother. Now let usstart at once on the tracks."
Frank's face became more serious than it had been during the previoussearch, as soon as they took up the double track across the fields.Before, he had felt absolutely confident that whatever they might findit could only tend to clear Julian from this terrible accusation; now,upon the contrary, he feared that any discovery they might make wouldconfirm his suspicions that evil had befallen him. Scarcely a word wasspoken as they passed along the fields.
"The man with the hob-nailed boots is taking to the hills," the chiefconstable remarked.
"I am afraid so, Mr. Henderson; and as they are bare of snow there willbe no chance of our following him."
When they came to the point where the snow ended they stopped.
"There is an end of our search, Mr. Wyatt. We must return to the town.The magistrates will meet at eleven o'clock, and I and the constablesmust be there. But I will send off two men directly we get back, to goalong the cliffs and question all the men who were on duty yesterdayafternoon as to whether they saw two men with guns crossing the hills,one being probably some distance behind the other. I think, perhaps, youhad better come to the court. I don't say that it will be absolutelynecessary, but I think it would be better that you should do so; and yousee it would be useless for you to be hunting over those hills alone. Assoon as the court is over I will take four men and will myself start tosearch for him. There is no saying whether we may not find some sign orother. I shall be glad if you will go with me; you have shown yourself aborn detective this morning, for had you been trained to it all yourlife you could not have followed the scent up more unerringly."
"I will certainly go with you, Mr. Henderson, and I will be at thecourt-house. I would start at once for the hills, but I have had nothingto eat this morning, and, what is much more important, I want to easemy aunt's mind. Of course, she was as certain as I was that Julian hadnothing whatever to do with this, but naturally it will be an immenserelief to her to know that the suspicion of so dreadful a crime nolonger rests on him."
When Frank returned home he found that Mrs. Troutbeck was so prostratedwith the shock that she was still in bed, where the doctor had orderedher to remain. As soon, however, as she heard that Frank was back, shesent down for him to come up. Her delight was extreme when he told herof the discoveries he had made, and that the constables had no doubt thewarrant for Julian's arrest would be withdrawn. She became anxious againwhen she found that Frank could give no satisfactory explanation of hislong absence.
"I would not trouble about it, Aunt," he said, soothingly; "no doubt weshall hear of him before long. Let us be content that he has come wellout of this terrible accusation, just as he did from the former charge,and let us hope that the explanation of his absence will be just assatisfactory when we hear it. Even if I thought that Julian had got intoany trouble, it would be infinitely easier to bear than a knowledge thathe was suspected of murder, for it would have been murder, Aunt. I heardjust now that Faulkner died last night."
The meeting of magistrates was an informal one, as they agreed, directlythey heard that Julian was not in custody, that they could proceed nofurther in the matter. Mr. Henderson, after answering their firstquestion, followed them into their private room.
"So you did not lay hands on him last night," Colonel Chambers said. "Weshall have to alter the warrant, for I find that Mr. Faulkner is dead."
"I think, gentlemen," the chief constable said quietly, "that after youhave heard what I have to tell, you will have to withdraw the warrantaltogether."
"Eh! what? Do you mean to say, Henderson, that you think the youngfellow did not fire the shot after all? I would give a hundred pounds ifI could think so, but, with Faulkner's deposition before us, I don't seehow there can be any possible doubt in the matter. Besides, I waspresent when he gave it, and though it may have been coloured a gooddeal by his feeling against young Wyatt, I am convinced that hebelieved, at any rate, that he was speaking the truth."
"I have no doubt he did, sir, and I had no more doubt than you have asto Mr. Wyatt's guilt; indeed, until his brother pointed out one veryimportant fact, nothing would have persuaded me that he did not fire theshot. I don't say that it was at all conclusive, but it sufficed to showthat the matter was by no means so certain as it seemed to be. I foundhim at the house when I went there to arrest his brother. Of course, theyoung fellow was greatly shocked when I told him the nature of thecharge, and declared it to be absolutely impossible. So certain was he,
that even when I told him the nature of Mr. Faulkner's depositions, hewas more puzzled than alarmed. The first question he asked was whetherMr. Faulkner had been killed by shot or by a ball. When I said by a ballhis face cleared up altogether. His brother, he said, and as we know,had been rabbit-shooting at Mr. Merryweather's. He would have had smallshot with him, but young Wyatt said that he did not think his brotherhad ever fired a bullet in his life. He knew there was not such a thingas a bullet in the house. Mr. Wyatt could not possibly have known thathe was likely to meet Mr. Faulkner on his way back from shooting, andtherefore, unless upon the rather improbable theory that he went aboutwith the intention of shooting Mr. Faulkner whenever he met him, andthat he had bought a bullet in the town and carried it always about withhim for the purpose, it was clear that he could not have fired thatshot."
"There is something in that, Mr. Henderson. A good deal in it, I amready to admit, but nothing that would really counteract the effect ofFaulkner's direct testimony, given when he knew that he was dying."
"No, sir; still it is a point that I own I had entirely overlooked;however, that is not now so important. I will now tell you what hastaken place this morning."
And he then related the story of the discovery of the tracks, thatproved that Julian had not gone near the tree behind which the murdererhad for some time been standing, and how, after running in and findingMr. Faulkner's body, he had set out in pursuit of the scoundrel.
"I have the two constables outside who were with me, Colonel, and if youlike to question them, they will, I am sure, confirm my statement in allrespects."
"I am glad indeed to hear your story, Mr. Henderson," Colonel Chamberssaid warmly. "The lad's father was an old friend of mine, and it wasterrible to think that his son could have committed such a dastardlycrime. What you say seems to me quite conclusive of his innocence, and,at the same time, is not in any way in contradiction with thedeposition. I give you very great credit for the manner in which youhave unravelled this mystery."
"The credit, sir, is entirely due to Mr. Wyatt's brother. He had formedthe theory that, as in his opinion his brother was certainly innocent ofthe crime, the only possible way in which he could account for hisabsence from home that night was that, upon hearing the gun fired soclose at hand, Mr. Wyatt had at once run to the spot, found the body ofMr. Faulkner, and had then immediately started in pursuit of themurderer. Setting out with me on the search with this theory stronglyfixed in his mind, young Wyatt seized at once every point that confirmedit, and pointed out to me that the man with heavy boots had crossed thefields at a run, and that the other had followed as soon as he cameupon the footprints, after searching for them up and down by the edge ofthe wood. Once we had got this clue to follow up, the matter was thenplain enough. The search through the wood showed us the wholecircumstances of the case, as I have related them to you, just asplainly as if we had witnessed the affair. But if I had not been setupon the right trail, I say honestly that I doubt whether I should haveunravelled it, especially as the snow is rapidly going, and by thisafternoon the footprints will have disappeared."
"Well, as a matter of form, we will take down your statement, Mr.Henderson, and then take those of the constables."
"Young Mr. Wyatt is outside, if you would like to hear him, sir."
"Certainly we will," the Colonel said. "He must be a wonderfully shrewdyoung fellow, and I think we ought to take his statement, if only torecord the part he played in proving his brother's innocence. But whereis the brother, Mr. Henderson; hasn't he come back yet?"
"No, sir; and I own that I regard his absence as alarming. You see themurderer, whoever he is, was armed with a rifle, or at any rate with agun that carried bullets, while Mr. Wyatt had only a shot gun. Such afellow would certainly not suffer himself to be arrested without astruggle, and when he found that he was being followed across the hills,would be likely enough to shoot down his pursuer without letting him getclose enough to use his fowling-piece. I have sent two constables up toinquire of the coast-guard men along the cliffs whether they observedany man with a gun crossing the hills yesterday afternoon, and whetherthey heard a gun fired. As soon as you have before you the statements ofthe constables who were with me this morning, I intend to take them andtwo others and start myself for a search over the hills, and I am verymuch afraid that we shall come upon Mr. Wyatt's body."
"I sincerely hope not," Colonel Chambers said; "but I own that I can seeno other way for accounting for his absence. Well, if you will call theclerk in, he will take down your statement at once. What do you think,Harrington? It seems to me that when we have got the four statements weshall be fully justified in withdrawing the warrant against youngWyatt."
"I quite think so, Colonel. You see, the facts will all come out at thecoroner's inquest, and, when they do so, I think there will be a gooddeal of strong feeling in the place if it is found that young Wyatt hasbeen killed while bravely trying to capture Faulkner's murderer, whileat the same time our warrant for his apprehension for the murder wasstill in force."
"Yes, there is a good deal in that, Harrington. If Faulkner had not diedI think that it would have been best merely to hold the warrant over inorder that when Wyatt comes back, if he ever does come back, all thesefacts might be proved publicly; now that will all be done before thecoroner."
The statements of Mr. Henderson and the two constables were taken down.Frank was then called in.
"I congratulate you most heartily upon the innocence of your brotherhaving been, to our minds, so conclusively proved, and, as Mr. Hendersontells us, chiefly owing to your shrewdness in the matter. Before youbegin, you can repeat your opinion about the bullet that you pointed outto the chief constable last night, in order that the point may beincluded in your statement. After that you can tell us the story of yoursearch in the wood."
When Frank had finished, Colonel Chambers said: "This is a very awkwardthing about your brother's disappearance. While giving him the fullestcredit for his courage in following a desperate man armed with a rifle,it was certainly a rash undertaking, and I fear that he may have come toharm."
"I don't suppose when he started, that it was so much the idea ofcapturing the man, Julian had in his mind, as of seeing who he was. Hadmy brother come back with only the statement that some man unknown hadshot Mr. Faulkner, his story might not have been credited. Certainly, inthe teeth of Mr. Faulkner's depositions, it would not have been believedwhen there was no evidence to support it. Still, I don't suppose it hadeven entered Julian's mind that any suspicion could possibly fall uponhim. I am greatly afraid that he has been killed or badly hurt; if not,I can see but one possible way of accounting for his absence. Mr.Faulkner was extremely active in the pursuit of smugglers, and had, weknow, received many threatening letters. If the man was a smuggler, asseems to me likely, he may have gone to some place where he had comradesawaiting him, and, Julian pursuing him, may have been seized and madeprisoner. You see, sir, he knew many of them, and, after the affair theother day, was probably regarded as a friend, and they may hold him intheir keeping only until the man who fired the shot can get safely outof reach."
"I hope that this may prove so indeed," the magistrate said. "It is atany rate possible. And now we will detain you no longer, for Mr.Henderson told me that you were going to accompany them in their searchamong the hills. I see that it is just beginning to snow, which will, Ifear, add to your difficulties."
For some days an active search was maintained, but no trace wasdiscovered of Julian Wyatt, or of the man whom he had followed. Frominquiries that had been instituted in the town, the chief constable hadlearned that the man Markham, who had a few weeks before returned afterserving out his sentence for poaching in Mr. Faulkner's preserves, haddisappeared from his lodgings on the day of the murder and had notreturned. As he was known to have uttered many threats against themagistrate, a warrant was issued for his arrest on the day after thecoroner's jury, having heard the whole of the evidence, brought in averdict that Mr. Faulkner had been wilfully m
urdered by a person orpersons unknown.
