a clumsy salute and a "Beg
pardon, gentlemen," and once more they were off. Ten minutes later,
another cyclist, pedaling furiously, rode into the zone of light cast by
their head-lamps. A hail brought him to a stop, and Green put a
question, explaining who he was.

"We've found it, sir," exclaimed the man excitedly. "It's in a lane at
the other side of the little village called Dalehurst, a mile farther
up. It had been run into a ditch and left there. There's no sign of the
man who was in it. I'm just riding in to report. There's a sergeant
looking after it."

"Never mind about reporting, yet," said Green. "You come back with us
and show us where this car is. I'll take all responsibility."

They travelled on at a pace that permitted the cyclist to keep
alongside, and presently, turning sharply to the right, picked their way
along a narrow roadway which, overgrown with grass and flanked by
densely-wooded country, was as desolate and lonely a spot as could be
conceived. The car bumped and swayed over ruts and hummocks, and Green
touched his companion's sleeve to bid him stop.

"We shall get on quicker and safer if we walk," he said, and dropped
stiffly to the ground. Malley followed suit, and swung his arms
vigorously about his body to restore some degree of warmth to his
cramped frame.

"We'll carry one of the headlights with us," said Green. "Faith, it's
muddy."

Their boots made a soft, squelching noise as they tramped on under black
shadows of the trees for a hundred yards. The track of the previous car
was embedded plain on the soft earth. And here and there were footmarks
recently made which the three avoided confusing, on Green's order, by
keeping to the side of the roadway. The wheelmarks ended abruptly round
a slight bend, where they came upon the car itself. It was tilted at an
acute angle, with its leading front wheel embedded in the low ditch. All
the lights had been extinguished, and the rear of the car, with the
number, was picked out in high relief against the dark background by the
acetylene light carried by Malley.

"Who's that?" growled a husky voice, and a police-sergeant stepped into
the section of light.

"It's all right, sergeant," said the man who had acted as guide to the
detectives. "It's only two gentlemen from London who are engaged on the
case. I met them and brought them along."

The chief inspector had taken the lamp from Malley and was throwing its
light on the ground around the