On the western side of the highway, and well behind the houses, two figures were standing in the shadow cast by a large oak. Their faces and hands were blackened, rendering them indistinguishable from their surroundings.
One wore a shade over a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles, a precaution against the moonlight being reflected on the lenses.
Half an hour, an hour, an hour and a half passed. They waited. Presently one gripped the arm of the other and pointed. At the back of the house immediately-opposite there was a slight movement in the shade cast by a hedge. Then the line readjusted itself and the shadow vanished. A moment later it reappeared in a patch of moonlight, looking like a large dog.
Stooping low Malcolm Sage and Thompson followed the dog-like form, themselves taking advantage of every patch of shadow and cover that offered.
The mysterious form moved along deliberately and without haste, now disappearing in the shadow cast by some tree or bush, now reappearing once more on the other side.
It was obviously taking advantage of everything that tended to conceal its movements.
Once it disappeared altogether, and for five minutes the two trackers lay on their faces and waited.
"Making sure he's not being followed," whispered Thompson, and
Malcolm Sage nodded.
Presently the figure appeared once more and, as if reassured, continued its slow and deliberate way.
Once a dog barked, a short, sharp bark of uncertainty. Again there was no sign of the figure for some minutes. Then it moved out from the surrounding shadows and continued its stealthy progress.