s, which he did not want to
happen, he said softly:

"Hi! You two! Don't show a light! How near are you?"

"Oh, it's you, sir!" said a voice. "We thought it would be. We saw the
signal, and you said you might be the first to arrive."

"Any second signal?"

"No, sir."

Furneaux recognized the pungent scent of the colza oil used in
policemen's lamps.

"By gad," he said, "if the average criminal had the nose of the
veriest cur dog he'd smell that oil a mile away. Now, where are
you? There." He had butted into a constable's solid bulk. "Take me
to the rock--quick. We must hide behind it, on the lower side.... Is
this the place? Right! Squat down, both of you, and make yourselves
comfortable, so that you won't feel your position irksome, and move
perhaps at the wrong moment. When you feel me crawling away, follow to
the upper foot of the rock--no farther.

"Stand upright then, and try to keep your joints from cracking. There
must be no creaking of belts or boots. Absolute silence is the order.
Not a word spoken. No matter what you hear, don't move again until you
see the light of my electric torch. Then run to me, turning on your
own lamps, and help in arresting any one I may be holding. Use your
handcuffs if necessary, and don't hesitate to grab hard if there is a
struggle. Remember, you are to arrest _any one_, no matter who it may
be. Got that?"

"Yes, sir," came two eager voices.

"Don't be excited. It will be an easy thing. If we make a mistake, I
bear the responsibility. Now, keep still as mice when they hear a
cat."

One of the men giggled. Both constables had met Furneaux in the local
police station that afternoon, as he had asked the Inspector to parade
the pair who would be on duty during the night. It was then that he
had arranged a simple code of flash signals, and warned them to look
out for Winter or himself during the night. Any other person who
turned up was not to be challenged until he reached the higher ground
beyond the rock, but that instruction was to be acted on only in the
unavoidable absence of one of the Scotland Yard officers. Privately,
the constables hoped Furneaux would be their leader. They deemed him
"a funny little josser," and marveled greatly at his manner and
appearance. Still, they had heard of his reputation; the Inspector, in
an expansive moment, had observed that "Monkey Face was sharper than
he looked."

Thinking example better than precept, Furneaux did not reprove th