"Well, I guess I'll go tear off a few yards myself," said the pilot, "and you better go back in and try to get some sleep, girlie."
They walked together the few paces to the shelter. She shuddered a little. "I hate to go back in there," she said. "I do not understand why, but I just dread it."
"Don't be silly," he said. "There ain't nothing going to hurt you. That dream got your nanny."
"I do not know what is my nanny," she replied, "and I am not so certain it was a dream."
"Well, you run along like a good girl; and I'll sleep with one eye open. If you hear anything, call me."
It was daylight when Brown was awakened by a piercing scream from the adjoining shelter.
"My word!" exclaimed Tibbs. "What was that?" But Brown was already on his feet and running to the women's quarters. He saw Sborov standing by the fire, ashen-grey in the morning light. His lower jaw drooped loosely; his eyes were staring, fixed upon the hut in which the women slept.
Brown collided with Annette, who was running from the hut as he started to enter.
"Oh, Neal," she cried, "it was no dream. Something horrible happened in there last night."
He brushed past her and went into the hut. Jane was standing in horrified silence, gazing down at the Princess Sborov.
"God!" exclaimed Brown. Kitty Sborov was dead, her skull split wide.
"How horrible," breathed Jane. "Who could have done this thing?"
Tibbs joined them. He remained silent and unmoved in the face of this gruesome discovery, always the perfect servant.
"Where is the prince?" asked Jane.
"He was on guard," said Brown. "He was standing there by the fire when I came in."
"Somebody will have to tell him," she said.
"I reckon it won't be no news to him," said Brown.
Jane looked up at him quickly. "Oh, he couldn't!" she cried.
"Well, who could, then?" demanded the pilot.
"If you wish, Milady," suggested Tibbs, "I will inform his 'ighness."
"Very well, Tibbs."
The man stepped out into the open. The prince was still standing gazing at the hut; but when he saw Tibbs coming toward him, he gathered himself together.
"What's the matter in there?" he asked. "What was Annette screaming about?"
"Something has happened to her 'ighness—she's—she's dead."
"What?—Who?—It can't be possible. She was quite all right when she went to bed last night."
"She has been murdered, your 'ighness," said Tibbs, "oh, so 'orribly!"
"Murdered!" He still stood where he was, making no move to approach the hut. He watched Jane and Brown emerge and come toward him.
"It is horrible, Alexis," said Jane. "I can't imagine who could have done it, nor why."
"I know who did it," he said, excitedly. "I know who did it and I know why."
"What do you mean?" demanded Jane.
Alexis pointed a trembling finger at Brown. "Last night I heard that man tell Tibbs to kill her. One of them must have done it, and I don't believe that it was Tibbs."
"Prince Sborov, I don't believe that it was either one of them," said Jane.
"Ask Tibbs if he didn't tell him to kill her," cried Sborov.
Jane looked questioningly at Tibbs.
"Well, Milady, Mr. Brown did suggest that I 'bump her off'; but it was only by way of being a joke, Milady."
"How was she killed?" asked the prince.
Jane looked puzzled. "Why—why, it must have been with the hatchet. Where is the hatchet?"
"Find the hatchet, and you'll have the murderer," said Sborov.
"But suppose he threw it away?" asked Jane.
"He couldn't have thrown it away. I've been on guard here since three o'clock, and nobody entered your part of the shelter after Annette went in after I came on guard. Whoever did it, probably hid it."
"It happened before you went on guard," said Annette. "It happened before Mr. Brown went on guard. It was that that awakened me; I know it now; and when I thought she was moaning in her sleep and snoring, she was really dying—it was the death rattle. Oh, how horrible!"
"Just when was that, Annette?" asked Jane.
"It was while Tibbs was on guard and about half an hour before Mr. Brown went on. I couldn't get back to sleep, and I went out and joined him. I sat up with him until he awoke the prince."
Jane turned to Tibbs. "Was Mr. Brown asleep when you went in to wake him at midnight?" she asked.
"Yes, Milady," replied Tibbs.
"How do you know?"
"Well, I could tell by his breathing for one thing; and then I had difficulty in arousing him."
"He might have feigned that," said Sborov.
"Was the prince asleep when you went in there, Tibbs, to awaken Brown?"
"He seemed to be sound asleep, Milady. I carried a burning brand in for a torch. I could see them quite distinctly."
"He was asleep, and I was pretendin' to be, I suppose," said Brown.
"Find the hatchet," said Sborov.
"Well, suppose you find it," retorted Brown. "I don't know where it is."
"Tibbs says that both of you were asleep. That leaves Tibbs and Annette and me under suspicion," said Jane.
"There ain't no sense to that way of figuring," said Brown. "We all know that you and Annette didn't have nothin' to do with it; so you two are out. I know damned well that I didn't do it, and I'm just about as sure that Tibbs didn't; so that puts it up to the only one in the bunch that would profit by the old woman's death."
"You'd profit as much as any of us," pointed out Sborov, sullenly. "You knew that your life was at stake, that if you didn't get out of here very soon you might never get out. You knew and you said that my wife was all that made it impossible for us to start together tomorrow. I can see your whole line of reasoning, my man. You felt that the princess could never get out of here, anyway; and so you just hurried matters along by killing her yourself."
"All right, Sherlock Holmes, you've got it all figured out, haven't you? But what are you going to do about it?"
"Find the hatchet," repeated Sborov.
"All right," said Jane. "You men go in the women's part of the shelter and search, and Annette and I will search your part."
Sborov followed Jane to the door of the men's hut. "I cannot go in there where she is," he said, "I want to remember her as she was when I last saw her—alive."
Jane nodded. "Help us search here, then," she said.
There was really no place to search except among the litter of grasses that the men had used as beds.
Jane searched the pile upon which Alexis had slept, while Alexis took Tibbs' and Annette poked around in those belonging to Brown. Presently the girl's hand came into contact with something cold and hard. She stiffened as her fingers touched it, as though by intuition she knew what it was. With a shudder she withdrew her hand. For a moment she remained very quiet and tense. She was thinking rapidly. Then she arose to her feet. "There is nothing here," she said.
Sborov glanced up at her quickly. "There is nothing here, either," said Jane.
"I can find nothing in Tibbs' bed," said Alexis; "but perhaps, Annette, you did not search Brown's bed carefully enough. Let me see."
She took a step toward him as though to prevent the search. "What is the use?" she said. "It is not there; it's just a waste of time to look again."
"Nevertheless, I shall look," said Alexis.
Sborov stooped and slipped his hand in among the grasses. He did not have to search long. "Here it is," he said. "I don't see how you could have missed it, Annette," he added, with a sneer. "You must have had your own reasons."
He withdrew the hatchet from among the grasses and held it up to their view. The head was smeared with blood.
"Are you satisfied now, Jane?" demanded the prince.
"I can't believe it of Brown," she said.
"But you could have believed it of me?"
"Frankly, Alexis, yes."
"Well, you've got plenty of proof now as to who did it. What are you going to do about it? The fellow ought to be destroyed."