Wayland laughed.
"He's like the Indian flies; a no-see-him. He'll ride over the hills for weeks and if he tumbles over the top of his prisoner, he can't find his man!"
The old Britisher looked doubtfully at Wayland, as much as to say, "I don't believe you."
"You're no temptin' me to take the law into our own hands?"
Again Wayland laughed.
"My dear sir, you don't understand! I don't want to drag you into this at all! For ten years, the powers that stand for law in this country have been marking time behind the firing line; while the other fellow got away with the goods. They have been marking time while Crime scored, and what you call the Devil kept tally."
The old man nodded his head approvingly.
"That's all true!"
"You ask me if I intend to break the law? No, Sir, I do not; but I do intend to carry the law out beyond the firing line. The thief strains the law to get away with the goods; I am going to strain the law to get them back. The murderer strains the law to protect his damned useless neck; I'm going to strain the law to break his neck. Unless," he added, "I break my own neck doing it."
The old man had drawn down his brows. "A don't just like the sound of it; what's your plan?"