Accompanied by the Englishman, he followed the path he had taken in pursuit of the spectre.

He recognized the obstacles which had hindered him, and noted how easily one who knew the locality might cross or avoid them.
At the spot where he had fired, he found the wad, but he looked in vain for the bullet.

The arrangement of the passage, which ran slanting, made it impossible for the bullet, if its marks were not on the walls, to have missed the ghost.

And yet if the ghost were hit, supposing it to be a solid body, how came it to remain erect?
How had it escaped being wounded, and if wounded, why were there no bloodstains on the ground?
And there was no trace of either blood or ball.
Sir John was almost ready to admit that his friend had had to do with a veritable ghost.
"Some one came after me," said Roland, "and picked up the ball." "But if you fired at a man, why didn't the ball go into him ?" "Oh! that's easily explained.

The man wore a coat of mail under his shroud." That was possible, but, nevertheless, Sir John shook his head dubiously.
He preferred to believe in a supernatural occurrence; it gave him less trouble.
Roland and he continued their investigations.