“They look as if they have gone quite mad,” said Anne, suddenly afraid. “What’s the matter with them?”

“I know!” said George. “They’ve been into our cellar room - and they’ve found that waterproof covering and all those empty boxes. They’ve found out that we’ve got the goods!”

“Of course!” said Julian. “We should have thrown all the boxes into the cellars beyond. No wonder they’re in a fury. They’ve lost a fortune to us four!”

“What do they think they can do now, though?” said Dick. “We’ve got Timmy. He’ll certainly fly at them if they come too near. But Dirty Dick looks mad enough to fight even Timmy. Honestly, I think he’s gone off his head.”

“I think he has,” said Julian, startled by the man’s mad shouts and behaviour.

He looked at Anne, who had gone white. Julian felt sure that Timmy would go for Dirty Dick and bring him to the ground, and he didn’t want Anne to see dog and man fighting savagely. There was no doubt that Dirty Dick was quite out of his mind with rage and disappointment.

Timmy began to bark fiercely. He snarled, and looked very savage. He could see that the man was spoiling for a fight with someone. All right - Timmy didn’t mind!

“Let’s hurry on,” said Julian. “But no short cuts for us, mind - we’ll keep strictly to the path. Maggie is in difficulties already.”

So she was. She was floundering ankle deep in marshy ground, yelling to Dirty Dick to help her. But he was too intent on cutting right across the children’s path.

And then he got into difficulties too! He suddenly sank up to his knees! He tried to clamber out and reach a tuft of some sort. He missed his footing and went down again. He gave an anguished yell. “My ankle! I’ve broken it! Maggie, come over here!”

But Maggie was having her own difficulties and paid no attention. The children stopped and looked at Dirty Dick. He was sitting on a tuft, nursing his foot, and even from where the children stood they could see that his face was deathly white. He certainly had done something to his ankle.

“Ought we to help him?” said Anne, trembling.

“Good gracious no!” said Julian. “He may be pretending for all we know - though I don’t think so. The chase is over, anyway. And if, as I think, Dirty Dick really has injured his ankle, he won’t be able to get far out of that marsh - and nor will Maggie by the look of her - down she goes again, look! It may be that the police will find it very easy to pick up that unpleasant couple when they come along to look for them.”

“Nicely embedded in the marsh,” said Dick. “Well, personally, I don’t feel sorry for either of them. They’re bad lots.”

They went on their way again, Timmy gloomy because he hadn’t had a fight with Dirty Dick after all. They walked all the way to Reebles. It took them two hours.