There was no doubt but that I had him accounted for up to the time of the thrashing; after that I could only conjecture.

He had not appeared in the village again; the supposition was that he had taken to the woods.

Now he might or he might not have come in the direction of Luray.

All the facts I had to go upon were, a man of criminal proclivities, who owed Colonel Gaylord a grudge, and who was used to hiding in caves.

It was pure supposition that he had come in this direction and it had to be checked at every point by fact.