Roguies yelps sounded now close at hand, and now
far off, as thescent led him.
You might as well try tostalk Haripol in a snow
blizzard.
The ladies walked slowly to the crest of the knoll,
where they haltedto admire the view.
I tell you frankly that nothing on earth will
prevent me having a tryat Haripol.
I want you to be at Haripol this
afternoon.
It looks as if we may have a rearguardaction to add
to our troubles.
The next hour was one of the severest bodily trials
which Lamancha hadever known. The navvies may refuse to be divertedby John, or may
come back before we get near Archies car.
He was at Haripol early this morning and a thefolk
there was speakin, about it. Ill be obliged if youll apply it to this problem. You
won the school mile in your youth, and yourealways in training. Macnicol is not
entirely wantin in sense. Then we drag the beast down to the Doran and sling it into
Archies car. Obviously it was the choice of the least among several evils,for he
shook his head and frowned. But I can tell ye, Ill be keeping my ears openfor word
of John Macnab.
Well have to roost indoors,and were terribly at the
mercy of that hive of correspondents.
Hes a traiveller, and in oneseason will cover the
feck o the Hielands. Is it fair to kill the best beast in the forest?
We didnt see him, for Mrs Lithgow lured him indoors
and has himshut up in the wine-cellar.
I read in the papers, he said, that John Macnab is
the reincarnationof Harald Blacktooth.
That is Mr Crossby,the eminent
journalist.
Their task was not so hard so long as they were in
hollows onthe corrie floor.
Two hours ago I was all for burning our ciphers and
retiring.
I tell you frankly that nothing on earth will
prevent me having a tryat Haripol. Pretty short in the temper, too, and no wonder.
Ned may win all right, but it wont beby much of a margin.
I had a difficult job to get rid of Claybody,and
had to tell a lot of lies. Dod, if John Macnab gets yon lad, he can cock his bonnet.
As Janet had foretold, it was a hot afternoon. At the top of the pass was a pad of
flat ground, covered thick withthe leaves of cloudberries. Theyre as feared of
infectious diseasesas a Highlander. You had better move westtowards Haripol, for
theres better cover on that side.
Anyhow, hes in the wine-cellar for Wattieto deal
with.