A few minutes later they were in the car and were going along the front at a good rate. When the houses became scattered, the road left the outline of the shore, made a detour round some sand dunes about a mile from Staveley, and then stretched like a white ribbon along the cliffs, between the downs and the sea, to the distant village of Ashlingsea. The road justified Sir George’s description as fairly good, but there were places where it was very narrow, the width being scarcely sufficient to allow one vehicle to pass another. On the side where the road joined the downs there was a ditch, and in some places the water had collected and formed a pool.
“What is this?” exclaimed Sir George, as he pointed to an object at the side of the road some distance away.
The object was a motor-car, which had struck the ditch and overturned. Part of the car was lying on the downs. One of the front wheels had been wrenched out of position. To Crewe’s surprise the chauffeur drove past without more than a sidelong glance at the wreck.
“Stop!” said Crewe. “We must have a look at this.”
“Yes, we may as well have a look at it,” said Sir George, as the car stopped. “But it is only one of Gosford’s old cars. He has a garage at Staveley and has three or four old cars which he lets out on hire. They are always coming to grief. Quite a common thing to find them stuck up and refusing to budge. The occupants have to get out and walk.”
Crewe got out of the car to inspect the wreck, but Sir George did not follow him. He was content to look on from his seat in the car. With some impatience he watched Crewe, as the detective examined the car first on one side and then the other. Crewe went back along the road for about forty yards and examined the track the wheels had made in running off the road and striking the ditch. Then he stood back a few yards, and, going down on his knees, examined the grass. He put his shoulder underneath the upturned side of the car to judge the weight of the vehicle.
“I believe we could turn it over,” he called out to Sir George. “It is not very heavy.”
“Get out, Harris, and see what you can do,” said Sir George.
He sat and watched Crewe and Harris exerting their strength to lift the car. They were not successful in moving it.
“Do you mind, Sir George?” said Crewe persuasively.