There could be but little doubt, then, that this man, whoever he was, had wandered about the cavern until famished, and, despairing of any escape, had deliberately sent himself out of the world by means of the weapon at his command.

But who was he?
Laying the handsome pistol aside, Mickey continued the search, anxious to find something that would throw light upon the history of the man.
It was probable that he had a rifle--but it was not to be found, and, perhaps, had vanished, as had that of Fred Munson.

It was more likely that something would be found in his pockets that would throw some light upon the question; and the Irishman, having undertaken the job, went through it to the end.
It was not the pleasantest occupation in the world to ransack the clothing of a skeleton, and he who was doing it could not help reflecting as he did so that it looked very much like a desecration and a robbing of the dead.

To his great disappointment, however, he failed to discover anything which would give the slightest clue.

It looked as if the man had purposely destroyed all such articles before destroying himself, and, after a thorough search, Mickey was compelled to give up the hunt.
Five chambers of the revolver, as has been said, were still loaded, and, after replacing the caps, the new owner was confident they were good for that number of shots.
"Here," said he, handing the weapon to the boy; "your rifle is gone, and you may as well take charge of this.