“Look here, Jerry Brigley, you haven’t been a soldier long enough to know how sharp the police are in tracking deserters. It don’t take very long to send word all over the country that a man—described—has left his regiment.”
“I dunno so much about that,” said Jerry.
“Well, I do!” replied Brumpton. “Say the police here telegraph to twenty stations round, and each of those twenty stations wire to twenty, and each of those to another twenty, it don’t take long, at that rate, to send all over the country. You mark my words: the bobbies won’t be long before they put their hands on his shoulder and bring him back.”
“Just as if he had stole something!” groaned Jerry.
“So he has,” said the sergeant; “a smart, clever young man; and his clothes and all belonging to the Queen.”
“But maybe he’ll send the toggery back,” pleaded Jerry.
“They don’t want the clothes; they want the man!”