"No, sir."
"Then they went off in the other direction from the bridge?"
"Yes, sir. I didn't notice the bridge burning till after they went. So I came down here."
Eaton let the man go. Dibley looked again at the girl and moved away a little. She turned to Eaton.
"What does that mean?" she called to him. "How many should there have been in the machine? What did they want with the water?"
"Six!" Eaton told her. "There should have been six in the machine, and one, at least, badly hurt!"
Dibley stood dully apart, staring at one and then at the other and next to the flaming bridge. He looked down the road. "There's another car coming," he announced. "Two cars!"
The double glare from the headlights of a motor shone through the tree-trunks as the car topped and came swiftly down a rise three quarters of a mile away and around the last turn back on the road; another pair of blinding lights followed. There was no doubt that this must be the pursuit from Santoine's house. Eaton stood beside Harriet, who had stayed in the driving-seat of the car.
"You know Dibley well, Harriet?" he asked.
"He's worked on our place. He's dependable," she answered.