"Perhaps that is so, Pep. I'd like to see that man."
"You never saw him before?"
"Not that I can remember."
"Would you know him if you saw him again?
"I don't know about that. I didn't have much time to look at him. I was busy trying to escape being hit by the tree branches."
"You must have been lying on the road five or ten minutes before we found you," pursued Pepper. "If that stranger was a rascal he would have had plenty of time to go through your pockets. I don't see how riding could make you lose all those things at once."
"If he robbed me, I'd like to get hold of him," cried Andy.
"More than likely, if he did rob you, he'll take good care to keep out of your reach."
"What of the horse? Did they catch him?"
"Not yet. Most likely he left the road after he got tired of running and wandered into the woods. He was a valuable animal and Captain Putnam is worried about him."