“Why did you kill Serdholm?” asked Colton.
“He beat me,” was the reply.
“And what had you against Mr. Haynes?”
“He sink I was murderer; zat I kill ze sailor.”
“And against me?”
“I see you follow ze trail. I sink you find me.”
“So I probably should. I just had seen the resemblance between my handprint and yours and had jumped forward to examine the next print, when I was struck.”
“Zat jomp safe you,” said the juggler. “Ze butt of ze knife hit as it turn or you would be dead.” He spoke in a matter-of-fact way. While waiting until he should be able to walk, they got a detailed confession from him. He told with perfect frankness of the killing of Serdholm and Haynes and the attack on Colton; but he flatly and rather nonchalantly denied the murder of Petersen the sailor, and the slaying of the sheep.
Coming to the killing of the kite-flier, Colton set a trap for him. “Why did you club him after you had given him the knife?”
“Who?” said the juggler, his eyes growing wide. “Mr. Ely, the man we found dead two nights ago with your knife-wound in his back.”