within it. My plan of campaign was altered accordingly and
to great advantage. Indeed, to have slain Ben in his house, when I
should have appeared instead of the brother he expected, had been a
maladroit achievement, contrasted with the far more notable feat of
the following night.

Having conveyed the old sailor to the cave, where, on my recent run
up the coast after dropping Brendon, I had already looked in and
lighted the lamp, I landed behind him and, as his foot touched the
shore, the pole-axe fell. He was dead in an instant and five minutes
later his blood ran upon the sand. Next I dug a grave under the
shingle, at a spot destined within half an hour to be covered by the
tide. In less than twenty minutes Bendigo Redmayne reposed beneath
three feet of sand and stone and I was on my way back again to
"Crow's Nest." There I reported to Brendon that the brothers had met
and would expect me again anon. I smoked a cigarette or two,
descended to our little harbour, removed my spade from the launch to
the boathouse, took a sack and so set out again.

By the time that I had reached the cavern the waves already flowed
over old sea wolf's resting-place. I landed, half filled my sack
with stones and sand, scattered judicious drops of blood and climbed
the steps and tunnel, laying the trail that occupied official
attention to such poor purpose during the days that followed.
Having reached the plateau, I emptied my sack, casting its contents
over the cliff; I then left a good impression or two of Robert
Redmayne's shoes, which I had, of course, remembered to put on. They
would be recollected by Mark Brendon, for impressions had been found
and records taken at Foggintor.

I swiftly descended the tunnel again after these operations,
returned to my boathouse, stowed my sack, changed my boots and
hastened to Brendon with my story. How we proceeded to the cave, our
fruitless inquiries and the subsequent failure to find any solution
to the disappearance of Bendigo and the reappearance of Robert are
all facts within the memory. I need not tell you that tale again;
but may declare how specially attractive it was to picture the
puzzled police upon the little beach next day, and know that Bendigo
Redmayne lay not a yard beneath their feet.

Once more my amazing wife and I parted for a brief period and then I
had the joy of introducing her to Italy, where the remainder of our
task awaited us. But we resolved that considerable time sh