One of these lads sat up each night in the stable, while the othersslept in the loft. All three bore excellent characters. John Straker,who is a married man, lived in a small villa about two hundredyards from the stables. He has no children, keeps one maidservant,and is comfortably off. The country round is very lonely,but about half a mile to the north there is a small cluster of villaswhich have been built by a Tavistock contractor for the use ofinvalids and others who may wish to enjoy the pure Dartmoor air.
Tavistock itself lies two miles to the west, while across the moor,also about two miles distant, is the larger training establishmentof Mapleton, which belongs to Lord Backwater, and is managedby Silas Brown. In every other direction the moor is a completewilderness, inhabited only by a few roaming gypsies. Such wasthe general situation last Monday night when the catastropheoccurred.
“On that evening the horses had been exercised and watered asusual, and the stables were locked up at nine o’clock. Two of thelads walked up to the trainer’s house, where they had supper inthe kitchen, while the third, Ned Hunter, remained on guard. Ata few minutes after nine the maid, Edith Baxter, carried down tothe stables his supper, which consisted of a dish of curried mutton.
She took no liquid, as there was a water-tap in the stables, and itwas the rule that the lad on duty should drink nothing else. Themaid carried a lantern with her, as it was very dark and the pathran across the open moor.
“Edith Baxter was within thirty yards of the stables, when aman appeared out of the darkness and called to her to stop. Asshe stepped into the circle of yellow light thrown by the lanternshe saw that he was a person of gentlemanly bearing, dressed in agray suit of tweeds, with a cloth cap. He wore gaiters, and carrieda heavy stick with a knob to it. She was most impressed, however,by the extreme pallor of his face and by the nervousness of hismanner. His age, she thought, would be rather over thirty thanunder it.
“ ‘Can you tell me where I am?’ he asked. ‘I had almost madeup my mind to sleep on the moor, when I saw the light of yourlantern.’
“ ‘You are close to the King’s Pyland training stables,’ said she.
“ ‘Oh, indeed! What a stroke of luck!’ he cried. ‘I understandthat a stable-boy sleeps there alone every night. Perhaps that ishis supper which you are carrying to him. Now I am sure that youwould not be too proud to earn the price of a new dress, wouldyou?’ He took a piece of white paper folded up out of his waistcoatpocket. ‘See that the boy has this to-night, and you shall have theprettiest frock that money can buy.’
“She was frightened by the earnestness of his manner, and ranpast him to the window through which she was accustomed tohand the meals. It was already opened, and Hunter was seatedat the small table inside. She had begun to tell him of what hadhappened, when the stranger came up again.
“ ‘Good-evening,’ said he, looking through the window. ‘Iwanted to have a word with you.’ The girl has sworn that as hespoke she noticed the corner of the little paper packet protrudingfrom his closed hand.
“ ‘What business have you here?’ asked the lad.
“ ‘It’s business that may put something into your pocket,’ saidthe other. ‘You’ve two horses in for the Wessex Cup—SilverBlaze and Bayard. Let me have the straight tip and you won’t be aloser. Is it a fact that at the weights Bayard could give the other ahundred yards in five furlongs, and that the stable have put theirmoney on him?’
“ ‘So, you’re one of those damned touts!’ cried the lad. ‘I’llshow you how we serve them in King’s Pyland.’ He sprang up andrushed across the stable to unloose the dog. The girl fled awayto the house, but as she ran she looked back and saw that thestranger was leaning through the window. A minute later, however,when Hunter rushed out with the hound he was gone, and thoughhe ran all round the buildings he failed to find any trace of him.”
“One moment,” I asked. “Did the stable-boy, when he ran outwith the dog, leave the door unlocked behind him?”
“Excellent, Watson, excellent!” murmured my companion. “Theimportance of the point struck me so forcibly that I sent a specialwire to Dartmoor yesterday to clear the matter up. The boy lockedthe door before he left it. The window, I may add, was not largeenough for a man to get through.
“Hunter waited until his fellow-grooms had returned, when hesent a message to the trainer and told him what had occurred.
Straker was excited at hearing the account, although he doesnot seem to have quite realized its true significance. It left him,however, vaguely uneasy, and Mrs. Straker, waking at one in themorning, found that he was dressing. In reply to her inquiries, hesaid that he could not sleep on account of his anxiety about thehorses, and that he intended to walk down to the stables to seethat all was well. She begged him to remain at home, as she couldhear the rain pattering against the window, but in spite of herentreaties he pulled on his large mackintosh and left the house.
“Mrs. Straker awoke at seven in the morning, to find that herhusband had not yet returned. She dressed herself hastily, calledthe maid, and set off for the stables. The door was open; inside,huddled together upon a chair, Hunter was sunk in a state ofabsolute stupor, the favorite’s stall was empty, and there were nosigns of his trainer.
“The two lads who slept in the chaff-cutting loft above theharness-room were quickly aroused. They had heard nothingduring the night, for they are both sound sleepers. Hunter wasobviously under the influence of some powerful drug, and as nosense could be got out of him, he was left to sleep it off while thetwo lads and the two women ran out in search of the absentees.
