294 DOWN AN UNKNOWN RIVER [chap, ix 



him until he dies; Paishon fell forward on his hands 

 and knees, and when a murdered man falls like that, 

 his ghost will foUow the slayer as long as the slayer 

 Uves." 



We did not attempt to pursue the murderer. We 

 could not legally put him to death, although he was a 

 soldier who in cold blood had just deliberately killed a 

 fellow-soldier. If we had been near civilization, we 

 would have done our best to bring him in and turn 

 him over to justice. But we were in the wilderness, 

 and how many weeks' journey were ahead of us we 

 could not tell. Our food was running low, sickness 

 was beginning to appear among the men, and both 

 their courage and their strength were gradually ebbing. 

 Our first duty was to save the hves and the health of 

 the men of the expedition who had honestly been per- 

 forming, and had still to perform, so much perilous 

 labour. If we brought the murderer in, he would have 

 to be guarded night and day on an expedition where 

 there were always loaded firearms about, and where 

 there would continually be opportunity and temptation 

 for him to make an effort to seize food and a weapon 

 and escape, perhaps murdering some other good man. 

 He could not be shackled while climbing along the 

 cliflF slopes ; he could not be shackled in the canoes, 

 where there was always chance of upset and drowning ; 

 and standing guard would be an additional and severe 

 penalty on the weaiy, honest men already exhausted 

 by overwork. The expedition was in peril, and it was 

 wise to take every chance possible that would help 

 secure success. Whether the murderer lived or died 

 in the wilderness was of no moment compared with the 

 duty of doing everything to secure the safety of the 

 rest of the party. For the two days following we were 



