and faded volume open before him, and some dark red fluid,

learned that Nelson had been shot by Davis about two hours before, at

the foot of the main stairway leading from the corridor just beyond

the office to the second floor, and that Nelson was already dead. It

was almost as difficult to get reliable particulars of the matter at

the hotel as it had been in my camp, but I gathered that the two men

had met first at an early hour near the counter of the hotel office,

and that an altercation which had begun several days before in

relation to something official was renewed by Davis, who, attempting