y in finding a break in the cliffs that
walled the water front, but finally they discovered a cleft in the solid
rock and they were able to make a steep descent over broken bowlders.
They were halfway down when Jim stopped so abruptly that the engineer
stumbled against him.

"See that man sitting against that rock," he whispered; "he looks as if
he were asleep."

"Maybe drunk," remarked John Berwick.

"Or a sentinel for the castle," put in Jim.

He felt around at his feet until he picked up a suitable rock, then
closely followed by the engineer, he approached cautiously the figure
against the rock, then Jim deliberately went up and looked into the
man's face.

"He's dead," said Jim in a quiet voice. "I've seen too many like him not
to know."

"Who do you suppose got him," queried the engineer.

"Those friends of ours on the hill, no doubt," said Jim. "Yes, it's
their work," he declared, as he ran his hand along under the man's coat;
"stabbed in the back." The unfortunate fell heavily against Jim's
shoulder and one of his legs straightened out convulsively.

"You have a pretty fair quality of nerve, my friend," remarked the
engineer in cool admiration.

"Strike a light, John," said Jim, "and see if we can get a line on this
poor fellow."

The engineer drew a pretty trinket of a match box from his upper vest
pocket and struck a match near the face. There was such a direct living
look in the man's half-closed eyes, that the engineer dropped the match
with an involuntary expression of surprise and shock.

"What's the matter with you, John?" asked Jim with a touch of sharpness
in his voice. The engineer was a man of usual nonchalant nerve, whose
bravery had always seemed a by-product of his nature and not due to an
effort of the will, which gave point to Jim's question.

"I am getting shaky in my old age, Captain," replied the engineer.

"No danger of that," replied Jim.

Again a match was lit and this time Berwick held the flame close to the
dead man's face. They saw that he was not over forty years of age, with
a heavy square jaw, a full straw colored mustache, and hazel eyes. He
wore a light gray fedora hat and his suit was also of gray, loosely
worn. He was squarely built, and slightly below the middle height. There
was absolutely nothing to indicate his business, or his station in life.
Whatever possessions he may have had on him had been taken.

"What was the reason for this, John?" questioned Jim, a