ate you."

"but we have a long way still to go. kindly walk clear of

the path. now let us follow the trail. i fear that it

will not lead very far."

we found, however, as we advanced that this portion of the

moor is intersected with soft patches, and, though we

frequently lost sight of the track, we always succeeded in

picking it up once more.

"do you observe," said holmes, "that the rider is now

undoubtedly forcing the pace? there can be no doubt of it.

look at this impression, where you get both tyres clear.

the one is as deep as the other. that can only mean that

the rider is throwing his weight on to the handle-bar,

as a man does when he is sprinting. by jove! he has had

a fall."

there was a broad, irregular smudge covering some yards of

the track. then there were a few footmarks, and the tyre

reappeared once more.

"a side-slip," i suggested.

holmes held up a crumpled branch of flowering gorse.

to my horror i perceived that the yellow blossoms were all

dabbled with crimson. on the path, too, and among the

heather were dark stains of clotted blood.

"bad!" said holmes. "bad! stand clear, watson!

not an unnecessary footstep! what do i read here?

he fell wounded, he stood up, he remounted, he proceeded.

but there is no other track. cattle on this side path.

he was surely not gored by a bull? impossible! but i see

no traces of anyone else. we must push on, watson.

surely with stains as well as the track to guide us he

cannot escape us now."

our search was not a very long one. the tracks of the tyre

began to curve fantastically upon the wet and shining path.

suddenly, as i looked ahead, the gleam of metal caught my

eye from amid the thick gorse bushes. out of them we

dragged a bicycle, palmer-tyred, one pedal bent, and the

whole front of it horribly smeared and slobbered with

blood. on the other side of the bushes a shoe was

projecting. we ran round, and there lay the unfortunate

rider. he was a tall man, full bearded, with spectacles,

one glass of which had been knocked out. the cause of his

death was a frightful blow upon the head, which had crushed

in part of his skull. that he could have gone on after

receiving such an injury said much for the vitality and

courage of the man. he wore shoes, but no socks, and his

open coat disclosed a night-shirt beneath it. it was

undoubtedly the german master.

holmes turned the body over reverently, and examined it

with great attention. he then sat in deep thought for a

time, and i could see by his ruffled brow that this grim

discovery had not, in his opinion, advanced us much in our

inquiry.

"it is a little difficult to know what to do, watson," said he,

at last. "my own inclinations are to push this inquiry

on, for we have already lost so much time that we cannot

afford to waste another hour. on the other hand, we are

bound to inform the police of the discovery, and to see

that this poor fellow's body is looked after."

"i could take a note back."

"but i need your company and assistance. wait a bit!

there is a fellow cutting peat up yonder. bring him over

here, and he will guide the police."

i brought the peasant across, and holmes dispatched the

frightened man with a note to dr. huxtable.

"now, watson," said he, "we have picked up two clues this

morning. one is the bicycle with the palmer tyre, and we

see what that has led to. the other is the bicycle with

the patched dunlop. before we start to investigate that,

let us try to realize what we _do_ know so as to make the

most of it, and to separate the essential from the

accidental."

"first of all i wish to impress upon you that the boy

certainly left of his own free will. he got down from

his window and he went off, either alone or with someone.

that is sure."

i assented.

"well, now, let us turn to this unfortunate german master.

the boy was fully dressed when he fled. therefore,

he foresaw what he would do. but the german went without

his socks. he certainly acted on very short notice."

"undoubtedly."

"why did he go? because, from his bedroom window, he saw

the flight of the boy. because he wished to overtake him

and bring him back. he seized his bicycle, pursued the

lad, and in pursuing him met his death."

"so it would seem."

"now i come to the critical part of my argument.

the natural action of a man in pursuing a little boy would be

to run after him. he would know that he could overtake him.

but the german does not do so. he turns to his bicycle.

i am told that he was an excellent cyclist.

he would not do this if he did not see that the boy had some

swift means of escape."

"the other bicycle."

"let us continue our reconstruction. he meets his death

five miles from the school -- not by a bullet, mark you,

which even a lad might conceivably discharge,