“Know what it is?” he said quietly.
Bug Eye shook his head. Teddy and Roy answered nothing.
“It’s a German pistol—a Mauser,” the rancher said deliberately. “One shell has been fired.”
CHAPTER VII
The Gold Rush
“A German gun out here! We’ve found our clue!” cried Bug Eye excitedly.
“So,” Teddy mused, “a Dutchman shot Decker!”
Mr. Ball shrugged his shoulders.
“Germans are not Dutchmen,” he corrected. “An’ just because we find a German gun is no proof that a German did the job. Of course, he might have—the signs point that way. Don’t know any one who owns one of these things. No real puncher would ever handle one. The balance ain’t so good.” He hefted it in his hand. “I seen plenty of ’em,” he mused. “A plenty!”
Roy glanced at him. Mr. Ball had been a captain in the infantry during the war, and had seen action in France. He never talked about his experiences on the other side.
“Well, we got somethin’ to go by!” Bug Eye burst out. “Snakes, a real German gun! What do you suppose—”