Part 1 - Chapter 4 - Page 2

"That, of course, proves nothing at all," remarked Inspector
MacDonald. "There has been many a hammer murder and no trace on
the hammer."

"Quite so. It doesn't prove it wasn't used. But there might
have been stains, and that would have helped us. As a matter of
fact there were none. Then I examined the gun. They were
buckshot cartridges, and, as Sergeant Wilson pointed out, the
triggers were wired together so that, if you pulled on the hinder
one, both barrels were discharged. Whoever fixed that up had
made up his mind that he was going to take no chances of missing
his man. The sawed gun was not more than two foot long--one
could carry it easily under one's coat. There was no complete
maker's name; but the printed letters P-E-N were on the fluting
between the barrels, and the rest of the name had been cut off by
the saw."

"A big P with a flourish above it, E and N smaller?" asked
Holmes.

"Exactly."

"Pennsylvania Small Arms Company--well-known American firm," said
Holmes.

White Mason gazed at my friend as the little village practitioner
looks at the Harley Street specialist who by a word can solve the
difficulties that perplex him.

"That is very helpful, Mr. Holmes. No doubt you are right.
Wonderful! Wonderful! Do you carry the names of all the gun
makers in the world in your memory?"

Holmes dismissed the subject with a wave.

"No doubt it is an American shotgun," White Mason continued. "I
seem to have read that a sawed-off shotgun is a weapon used in
some parts of America. Apart from the name upon the barrel, the
idea had occurred to me. There is some evidence then, that this
man who entered the house and killed its master was an American."

MacDonald shook his head. "Man, you are surely travelling
overfast," said he. "I have heard no evidence yet that any
stranger was ever in the house at all."

"The open window, the blood on the sill, the queer card, the
marks of boots in the corner, the gun!"

"Nothing there that could not have been arranged. Mr. Douglas
was an American, or had lived long in America. So had Mr.
Barker. You don't need to import an American from outside in
order to account for American doings."

"Ames, the butler--"

"What about him? Is he reliable?"

"Ten years with Sir Charles Chandos--as solid as a rock. He has
been with Douglas ever since he took the Manor House five years
ago. He has never seen a gun of this sort in the house."

"The gun was made to conceal. That's why the barrels were sawed.
It would fit into any box. How could he swear there was no such
gun in the house?"

"Well, anyhow, he had never seen one."

MacDonald shook his obstinate