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Page 60
Then his own face blanched, as the shivering George bubbled incoherently,
"B-b-body! b-b-body! My God, Yorkey! th-there's a s-s-stiff d-down
th-there! Ugh! I d-d-dived right onto it!"
For a brief space they remained staring at each other; then, a strange
light of understanding broke over Yorke's face, and he made a snatch at
Redmond's clothes. "Come!" he jerked out briskly. "Get 'em on quick,
Red, else you'll catch your death of cold--never mind about drying
yourself--you can change when you get back."
In shivering silence his comrade commenced to struggle into his
underclothes and "fatigue-slacks." Yorke snapped the line and reeled in
the slack. "Stiff!" he kept ejaculating "stiff! Yes, by gad! and I can
make a pretty good guess who that stiff is! . . . Burke'll have all the
evidence he wants--now. You beat it, Reddy, as soon as you're fit and
get him. A run'll warm you up. The grappling-irons are back of the
stable. And say! tell him to bring a good long rope. Lord, I hope
Doctor Cox hasn't left yet. I'll stay here, Reddy. Hurry up!"
An hour or so later, a morbidly expectant group gathered on the
river-bank. Redmond, luckily, had reached the detachment just prior to
the coroner's departure, and that gentleman now comprised one of a party.
Slavin had hitched his team to a cotton-wood clump nearby, and was now
busily rigging the double set of three-pronged grappling-irons. When all
was ready, he motioned to his companions to stand back, and then, with a
preliminary whirl or two, flung the irons into the pool, some distance
ahead of the spot indicated by Redmond.
Slowly and ponderously he began the dragging recover, with the muscular
skill of a man long inured to the gruesome business. His first effort
was unsuccessful--weeds and refuse were all he salvaged. He tried again,
with the same result. Cast after cast proved futile. After the last
failure he turned and glowered morosely upon Redmond.
"'Tis either dhrunk or dhramin' ye must be, bhoy! There's nothin' there.
I've a good mind," he added slowly "a d----d good mind tu shove ye undher
arrest for makin' a friv'lus report tu yeh superior!"
Yorke now came to his comrade's rescue. "By gum, Burke," he flashed out
"if you'd seen his mug when he came up out of that hole you wouldn't have
thought there was anything frivolous about it, I can tell you!"
Poor George voiced a vehement protest, in self defense. "Good God,
Sergeant!" he expostulated, "d'you think I'd come to you with a yarn like
that? I tell you it is there. Have another try. Sling farther over to
the right here!"
Grumblingly, the latter complied, and began the slow recover. Suddenly,
the rope checked. Slavin strained a moment, then he turned around to the
expectant group. "Got ut'" he announced grimly. "I can tell by th' feel
av ut. Tail on tu th' rope there, all av yez! Now! Yeo! Heave ho!"
Like a tug of war team they all bowed their backs and strained with all
their might; but their efforts proved futile. "Vast heavin!" said
Slavin, breathing heavily. "'Tis shtuck somehow--I will have tu get th'
team an' double-trees. Get a log off'n that breakwater, bhoys, so's th'
rope will not cut inta th' edge av th' bank."
He crossed over to the horses. "Now!" said he, some minutes later, as he
backed up the team and made all fast to the double-trees. "Yu', Reddy,
an' Lanky, guide th' rope over th' log. Yu', Yorkey, get th' feel av ut,
an' give me th' wurrd. I du not want to break ut."
Yorke leant over the edge of the bank, loosely feeling the rope. "All
right!" he announced.
Slavin, edging his team cautiously forward, and taking the strain to
avoid a violent jerk, clucked to them. With a scramble, and a steady
heave of their powerful hind-quarters, they started.
With bated breath the watchers gazed at the rope--creeping foot by foot
out of the discoloured water.
"Keep a-going!" Yorke shouted to Slavin. "It's coming up, all right!"
It came. Arising slowly and sullenly out of the depths they beheld a
horrible, dripping, shapeless something that eventually resolved itself
into a human body--clothed in torn rags and matted with river-refuse.
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