Mr. Ireland shook his head.
"You are telling me the truth?"
"If you doubt it, Miss Strong, you may look for yourself."
Just then a constable who, for purposes of observation, had climbed the sloping ground on one side of the road, gave a great shout.
"Fire! There's a house on fire on the hills!"
Mr. Cooper, who, while his former friends were being captured, had, much against his will, been handcuffed to a policeman, called to Mr. Ireland.
"I reckon it's the crib. They been and set it afire, and left the bloke as they calls Paxton to burn inside of it. See if they ain't!"
* * * * *
It was Miss Strong who found him. Running round the burning building, she came to a little open window through which a man's hand was stretched. The window was too high above the ground to enable her to see into it. Only the hand was visible. She thought it belonged to some one who was seeking to escape.
"Who are you?" she cried.