“It was an observation on footprints,” he went on, “that had never occurred to me.  The hobo saw my awakened interest, and he added: 

“`Did you never notice a man carryin’ a heavy load?  He kind of totters, walkin’ with his feet apart to keep his balance.  That makes his foot tracks side by side like, instead of one before the other as he makes them when he’s goin’ light."’

Walker interrupted his narrative with a comment: 

“It’s the truth.  I’ve verified it a thousand times since that hobo put me onto it.  A line running through the center of the heel prints of a man carrying a heavy burden will be a zigzag, while one through the heel prints of the same man without the burden will be almost straight.

“The tramp went right on with his deductions: 

“`If it come in and didn’t go out, it’s here.’

“And he began to go over the inside of the shed.  He searched it like a man searching a box for a jewel.  He moved the pieces of old castings and he literally fingered the shed from end to end.  He would have found a bird’s egg.

“Finally he stopped and stood with his hand spread out over his mouth.  And I selected this critical moment to touch the powder off under his game.

“`Suppose,’ I said, `that this man with the heavy load wished to mislead us; suppose that instead of bringing something here he took one of these old castings away?’

“The hobo looked at me without changing his position.

“`How could he, Governor; he was pointin’ this way with the load?’

“`By walking backward,’ I said.  For it occurred to me that perhaps the creature had manufactured this evidence for the occasion, and I wished to test the theory.”

Walker went on in his slow, even voice: 

“The test produced more action than I expected.

“The hobo dived out through the door.  I followed to see him disappear.  But it was not in flight; he was squatting down over the footprints.  And a moment later he rocked back on his haunches with a little exultant yelp.

“`Dope’s wrong, Governor,’ he said; `he was sure comin’ this way.’  Then he explained:  `If a man’s walkin’ forward in sand or mud or snow the toe of his shoe flirts out a little of it, an’ if he’s walkin’ backward his heel flirts it out.’

“At this point I began to have some respect for the creature’s ability.  He got up and came back into the shed.  And there he stood, in his old position, with his fingers over his mouth, looking round at the empty shed, in which, as I have said, one could not have concealed a bird’s egg.

“I watched him without offering any suggestion, for my interest in the thing had awakened and I was curious to see what he would do.  He stood perfectly motionless for about a minute; and then suddenly he snapped his fingers and the light came into his face.

“`I got it, Governor!’ Then he came over to where I stood. `Gimme a quarter to git a bucket.’