They had found no trace of George Mason.
When they reached the clump of trees, there were no horses there! They looked at each other with blank faces! "He's got our horses!" said Jim Anderson, when his consternation allowed him to speak.
"Yes," said Tony, "and sarved us right.

We oughter left one man here to take care uv 'em, knowin' George Mason as we do.' "I had an idea," said Dr.Price's son Brinsley, "that we should have done something of that kind." "Idees ain't no good," said Tony with a grunt, as he marched off toward the blacksmith's shop at Jordan's cross-roads.
The blacksmith had seen nothing of Mason or the horses, but Tom Riley's horse was still there; and as the members of the party were all well known to the blacksmith, he allowed them to take the animal to its owner.

So the five men rode the one horse back to Akeville; not all riding at once, but one at a time..