Colonel Thorndyke's Secret

duced to several of the officials of the Department, and called upon them at intervals to obtain news of the p

without payment, the number who went out was considerable, there being the additional attrac

led, and the mutiny suppressed, but about a dozen had succeeded in getting away. These had committed several robberies and so

. By worse class he means the most troublesome and refractory out there. The prisoners are not classified according to their original crimes. A poacher who has killed a game keeper, or a smuggler who has killed a revenue officer, may in other respects be a quiet and we

eved to have been the leading spirit of the mutiny, was among those who had escaped, and had not yet been reca

en he heard the news. "Suppose h

eck until she was well on her way, when, in all probability, he would be allowed to work his passage, and might be put ashore without any information being given to the authorities. I have no doubt that among the sailors there would be a good

s out there are the wild dogs, or dingoes, as they are called; any loss in that way would readily be put down to them. As to money, he would have no occasion for it; if he wanted it he would get it by robbing the settlers, he would k

ished him with money with which he could bribe a sailor to hide him away and, if necessary, pay his passage money to England, when discovered on board, and perhaps maintain him when he got home until he could replenish his purse by some unlawful means. Lastly, the Squire argue

ing that the fellow

him by the heels again. You managed it last time, and if he s

until he strikes a blow. At any rate, see that yo

house like this, standing alone, and containing a go

able at Reigate, and ask him to do the same. He is not the same man who was head at the time Bastow was up before us, but he was in the force then, and, as one of the constables who came up to take the prisoners down to Reigate, he will have all the facts in his mind. He is a sharp f

hould say, father," the yo

who was in the courthouse would be sure to have his face strongly impressed upon their minds. You may forget a man you have seen casually, but you don't forget one you have watched closely when he is in the dock with two others charged with murder. Five out of my six men were constables at that time,

e as it is; his father is getting an old man now, and is by no means

king place among the houses round Clapham, Wandsworth, and Putney. Such events were by no means uncommon, but following each other in such quick succession they created a strong feeling of alarm among the inhabitants of the neighborhood. John Thorndyke, going up to town shortly afte

these burglaries in the South of London. We are at our wits' end about them. We are flooded with letters of complaint from residents; but though the patrols on the common have been doubled and every effort made, we are as far off as ever. As far as the burglaries are concerned, we

d a house broken into on the same night. I fancy that at present we shan't hear much more of them. They have created such alarm that the coaches carry with them two men armed with blunderbusses, in addition to the guards, and I should fancy that every householder sleeps with pistols within reach, and has got arms for his servants. At many of the large houses I know a watchman has been engaged to sit in the hall all night, to ring th

put their horse

sinesses, and the horses may be snugly put up there, while we are searching the inn stables in vain. Again, there are rogues even among the farmers themselves; little men, perhaps, who do not farm more than thirty or forty acres, either worki

the area to be searched, but nothing has come of it, although I am pretty sure that they must have three or four places they use in various directions. My men have picked up stories of horsemen being heard occasi

rk accompanied him. Both carried pistols, as did the groom, sitting behind the

ard. Then, too, the roads are infested by highwaymen. For that reason alone it would be well that a man should be able to shoot straight. You should also practice sometimes at night, setting up some object at a distance so that you can just make out its outline, and tak

ed town the Squire received a

MR. TH

se. He seemed disappointed when he heard that you had gone up to town, and hearing that you might not be back for three or four days, said he should be coming back through Reigate in a week or ten days, and he dared say he should be able to find time to call again. Knapp did not hear about it until this morning; he asked the landlord about the man, and the landlord said he was about thirty, dark, an

out what chance there is of resistance, and, hearing that we were both away, may have decided on making an attempt. I have pretty well finished our business and ordered nearly all the provisions that Mrs. Cunningham requires. But I have to call at my lawyer's, and

aged to sup with Reginald Ascot, but I will

ot your pistols in order, Mark?" the Squi

dy, father, one

your pisto

s,

d lit the lamps; then they resumed their journey. They were within five miles of Reigate

nstant; then, as there was no reply to his shot, he discharged the second barrel at the first who had fired, and who had at once drawn another pistol. The two reports rang out almost at the same moment, but Ma

Mark exclaimed, as his f

e, Mark; I saw him fall from

the other, father? I a

re so cut up by ruts that we should break a spring before we had gone a hun

d to a spot where the highwayman's horse was standing. The man was

dead, f

We will hand the body over to the constable at Reigate. He may know who he is, or find s

what had happened. "However, he certainly is dead, and I will get one of the men to help me car

I heard him give an exc

arms as you do there would soon be an end to stopping coaches. I will see what he has g

ds. "I am rather curious to know if this fellow is the same Mrs. Cun

two. Highwaymen don't go in for house breaking. I think t

f at Bow Street said that he had a suspicion that the highway robbers and

ppened to light on us, father, if they

hey were expected, caused great satisfaction to Mrs. Cunningham and Millicent. The former, however, had wisely ke

be a good thing, when you got back, for us two to take a run up to town for a week, just to let you see h

us, dear, but we have had an adven

it?" the g

at closely, Millicen

ut it, and brought it to the light. "There are two hole

ne fired at me, and, as you see, it was an uncommonly good shot. The other was about to fire when Mark's pistol put a stop to him, and his second barrel stopped the fellow who had f

he first?" Millicent

King's peace again. It happened about four miles from home, so we brought hi

?" Millicent said, looking up wit

he other, my father's life would not have been worth much, for as we were driving fast, he was not above half as far away as the other had been when he fired. J

hat I blame you, Mark; bu

h you with another, was cut short in the operation by a shot from my pistol. I believe that your relief and thankful

re said, as he walked with his son down to Reigate to attend the inquest the n

he said; "but I should not think that

Do you know that I have a strong su

, and although greatly impressed at the time by the ill doings of the man, the idea that he would ever return and endeavor to avenge himself o

nnot but think that I was right. You see, there are two or three suspicious circumstances. In the first place, there was this man down here making inquiries. Knapp went down early this morning with the innkeeper, and told me before breakfast that Peters at once recognized the fellow you shot as the man who had made the inqui

inly singular that one of the two men should have been the fellow

there was a rich booty awaiting them, as they evidently believed there was, or that man would not have come down specially to make inquiries. My own impression is that when they heard that we should return in two or three days one o

have got into trouble at Reigate, and, as you are chairman of the be

, possible, and I h

e come back to England, where he would know that he might be

uld be absolutely devoid of comfort, and be that of a hunted dog; living always in the bush, scarcely venturing to sleep lest he should be pounced upon either by the armed constables of the colony or by the blacks. It is not as if the country were extensively populated; there are not a very

court after he had received his sentence. I am not a coward, so far as I know, Mark, but I am as certain as I stand here that he meant what he said, and that, during these years of imprisonment and toil out there, he has been cherishing the thought of coming home some day and getting even with me. You see, he is said to have been the l

unpleasant i

hat we should at any rate spare no pai

othing particular to do, and it would be an

ink, and my reasons for thinking so, and say that I offer a reward of a hundred pounds for the capture of the man who tried to stop us, and who was, we are certain, wounded by you. Unless he has some marvelously out of the way hiding pl

did not last many minutes, and the jury without hes