Tony did not for a moment doubt Cousin Maria's word when she told him
that George Mason had gone away. She never told a lie. The only trouble
with her was that she told too much truth.

In about an hour and a half the five men returned to the place where
they had left their horses. They had found no trace of George Mason.

When they reached the clump of trees, there were no horses there!

They looked at each other with blank faces!

"He's got our horses!" said Jim Anderson, when his consternation allowed
him to speak.

"Yes," said Tony, "and sarved us right. We oughter left one man here to
take care uv 'em, knowin' George Mason as we do.'

"I had an idea," said Dr. Price's son Brinsley, "that we should have
done something of that kind."

"Idees ain't no good," said Tony with a grunt, as he marched off toward
the blacksmith's shop at Jordan's cross-roads.

The blacksmith had seen nothing of Mason or the horses, but Tom Riley's
horse was still there; and as the members of the party were all well
known to the blacksmith, he allowed them to take the animal to its
owner. So the five men rode the one horse back to Akeville; not all
riding at once, but one at a time.