Then the next angle of the square was reached, turned, and the sergeant still passed on with the light.
“Gets thicker here,” he whispered, and directly after he stopped and pointed down at two or three handfuls of the bright grain.
“Seem to have set down a basket here, sir,” he said softly. “Shall I go on?”
“Go on? Yes, and trace the robbery home. The scoundrel who has tampered with the stores deserves the severest punishment.”
The sergeant proceeded, but more slowly now, for he had only a grain here and a grain there to act as his guide; but these still pointed out the direction taken by the marauders, till the trackers came suddenly upon a good-sized patch.
“Tell you what, sir,” whispered the sergeant; “there’s only one chap in it, and he’s got such a swag he’s obliged to keep stopping to rest.”
“Yes, that seems to be the case, sergeant,” said Lennox, looking carefully about. “Let’s see; we must be near the colonel’s quarters,” he whispered.
“That’s right, sir. About twenty yards over yonder; and the fellows on sentry ought to have seen the light and challenged us by now.”
“No,” said Lennox; “the houses completely shut us off. Go on.”
The light was held low down again and swung here and there in the direction that the marauder ought to have taken; but there was not a grain to be seen to indicate the track, and the sergeant had to hark back again and again without being able to find it.