The Mystery of the Four Fingers | Page 9

no objection to a cigar in the dining-room at this late hour,
and presently the two friends were discussing their Havanas together.
Venner began to speak at length.
"Perhaps it would be as well," he said, "to stick to the box business first.
You will remember, some three years ago, my writing you to the effect
that I was going to undertake a journey through Mexico. I don't
suppose I should have gone there at all, only I was attracted by the
notion of possible adventures in that country, among the hills where, at
one time, gold was found. There was no question whatever that gold in
large quantities used to be mined in the wild district where I had chosen
to take up my headquarters. Practical engineers say that the gold is
exhausted, but that did not deter me in the least.
"The first man who put the idea into my head was a half-caste Mexican,
who had an extraordinary grip on the history of his country, especially
as far as legends and traditions were concerned. He was a
well-educated man, and an exceedingly fascinating story-teller. It was
he who first gave me the history of what he called the Four Finger

Mine. It appears that this mine had been discovered some century or
more ago by a Frenchman, who had settled down in the country and
married the daughter of a native chief. The original founder of the mine
was a curious sort of man, and was evidently possessed of strong
miserly tendencies. Most men in his position would have gathered
together a band of workers, and simply exploited the mine for all it was
worth. However, this man, Le Fenu, did nothing of the kind. He kept
his discovery an absolute secret, and what mining was to be done, he
did himself. I understand that he was a man of fine physique, and that
his disposition was absolutely fearless. It was his habit at certain
seasons of the year to go up to his mine, and there work it for a month
or two at a time, spending the rest of the year with his family. It is quite
certain, too, that he kept his secret, even from his grown-up sons; for
when he died, they had not the slightest idea of the locality of the mine,
which fact I know from Le Fenu's descendants.
"And now comes the interesting part of my story, Le Fenu went up into
the mountains early in May one year, to put in his solitary two months'
mining, as usual. For, perhaps, the first time in his life, he suffered
from a serious illness--some kind of fever, I suppose, though he had
just strength of will enough to get on the back of a horse and ride as far
as the nearest hacienda.
"Now, on this particular farm there dwelt a Dutchman, who, I believe,
was called Van Fort. Whether or not Le Fenu partially disclosed his
secret in his delirium, will never actually be known. At any rate, two or
three weeks later the body of Le Fenu was discovered not very far away
from the scene of his mining operations, and from the evidence
obtainable, there was no doubt in the world that he was foully
murdered. Justice in that country walks with very tardy footsteps, and
though there was little question who the real murderer was, Van Fort
was never brought to justice. Perhaps that was accounted for by the fact
that he seemed to be suddenly possessed of more money than usual,
and was thus in a position to bribe the authorities.
"And now comes a further development. Soon after the death of Le
Fenu, it was noted that Van Fort spent most of his time away from his

farm in the mountains, no doubt prospecting for Le Fenu's mine.
Whether he ever found it or not will never be known. Please to bear in
mind the fact that for a couple of centuries at least Le Fenu's
mysterious property was known as the Four Finger Mine. With this
digression, I will go on to speak further of Van Fort's movements. To
make a long story short, from his last journey to the mountains he never
returned. His widow searched for him everywhere; I have seen her--a
big sullen woman, with a cruel mouth and a heavy eye. From what I
have heard, I have not the slightest doubt that it was she who inspired
the murder of the Frenchman.
"She had practically given up all hope of ever seeing her husband again,
when, one dark and stormy night, just as she was preparing for bed, she
heard her husband outside, screaming for assistance. From his tone, he
was evidently in some dire and deadly peril. The woman was