Martin quivered like a dog on an unexpected scent. Otherwise, he betrayed no emotion.
"You are known to have killed him," he said calmly, "and you will all be hanged."
The shot in the dark flashed home.
"No—no—no!" exclaimed Bear Sitting Down. The Indian fear of the rope was evident in his face and he trembled in every limb. "You will not hang us if we tell you who killed him?"
"Not if you speak truth."
Inwardly, Martin was still completely puzzled, but he went on bluffing cleverly.
"I will tell all," said Bear Sitting Down. "The man who did it was Wild Horse. He came to us that night and he said, 'I have killed one of the Shagalasha. I killed his horse also and I threw the body into the ravine.' If you arrest Wild Horse, you will find that this is so."
The mystery solved—at last!
Martin turned swiftly to the other Indians.
"Is this true?" he asked.