Here was a clue: the horse could not have strayed far; the broken tether indicated a camp; the gang had been gathered somewhere in the vicinity where Mrs.Barker had warned them,--perhaps in the wood beyond Collinson's.

He would penetrate it alone.

He knew his danger; but as a SINGLE unarmed man he might be admitted to the presence of the leader, and the alleged claim was a sufficient excuse.

What he would say or do afterwards depended upon chance.

It was a wild scheme--but he was reckless.