The Man Under the Seat
stantly answered by the cracking of a twig a little to the right of him. His present intention to quit the scene and make his way to Prior’s Tarrant on foot across country had evidently been foreseen and provided for. Those bushes were occupied, and his retreat at that point was cut off. He clambered back on to the railway, and, running as hard as his lameness would allow, close to the fence, he again essayed the wood two hundred yards ahead of the engine. This time he won free into the tangle of the copse without any sign of pursuit, and presently came to an open “ride” where progress was easier.
[179]
