316 A JACOBITE EXILE

“We could not arrest him now, I suppose?” Harry said
at last.

“Well, you see, you have got nothing against him. He
may have been a Knight of the Road for the last five years,
but you have no witnesses to prove it, and it is not much
use to accuse him of intending to rob the North mail.
You have no proofs even of that, it is only your word
against his. There is no doubt that after they have robbed
the coach they will separate, they may go away in twos or
singly. Now, you see, we know three of this fellow’s
hiding-places. He would hardly choose the one at Barnet,
it is too close; it is more likely he would choose the next
place, the little inn in which you saw him first; but I think
it more likely still that he and his mates will divide the
plunder half a mile or so from the place where they stopped
the coach, and will then separate, and I am inclined to
think his most likely course is to strike off from the main
road, make a long round, and come down before morning
to where he is now. He may take his horse into its stable,
or more likely he may leave it at some place he may know
of on the road leading out through Putney, and then arrive
at his lodgings just about daybreak. He wouid explain he
had been at a supper and had kept it up all night, and no
one would even have a suspicion he had been engaged in
the affair with the coach. I am sure that is his most likely
plan.”

“Then what would you do?” Harry asked.

“What I should do is this. I will get two sharp active
boys. I know of two who would just do, they have done
jobs for us before now. I will give them the exact descrip-
tion of those two taverns, and send them down the day
before the coach is to be attacked, and tell them that that
night they are each to keep watch over one of them, see
who goes in, watch till they come out, and then follow
them, for days if necessary, and track them down. Then