"Bravo!" I said, "out with it."
"Three men answering to the description of those we are seeking were seen yesterday on the road to Monkshead."
"Where is that?"
"Thirty-two miles from here, as the crow flies."
"Who gave you the information?"
"Crawley. The fellow is of some use, after all."
I was not so sure, but when I questioned Crawley he was so precise and circumstantial in his account that I saw no valid reason to discredit him. He had received the news from a teamster, he said, who had passed the men on the road. Were they walking? Yes. How did the teamster know they were going to Monkshead? They were on the high road. How far from Monkshead? About ten miles.
"I have asked questions," said Crawley, "of every stranger who has passed through the village, and this was the only one who could tell me anything at all."
"Did you describe Dr. Peterssen's appearance to him?" I asked.
"Yes, and he said it was something like another of the men."