Tom had to think quickly, for he realized at once that the only direction in which the sheep could be driven was along the ditch towards him. It would perhaps be possible for him to scramble up to the top of the bank and hide until he could see which way the flock would be driven and then follow it. But the sheep were now coming towards him so fast, and the dog was barking and the man cursing, so that the only course open to him seemed to be retreat. He wriggled backwards out of the heather in which he had been lying until he was round the bend and then got to his feet and ran as fast as he could back the way he had come.

As he ran he guessed the secret of the cunning sheep-thieves, for although he did not know how the sheep reached the hiding-place he realized now that large flocks could be driven right along the bottom of the ditch out of sight of any inquisitive strangers or even of the farmers themselves, right up to the gates of Grey Walls. What happened then Tom had no idea, but he was now determined to find out.

Tired, footsore and breathless, he dashed on along the narrow track and after a few minutes he looked up to his right and saw the grim walls of the house above him. He stopped and whistled the peewit call, but there was no answer.

Then he heard the sheep behind him and he began to climb frantically up the bank to the hawthorn tree where David and he had hidden half an hour ago.

Once up he could see at once that the gates were still closed and that there was no sign either of a van or of David or Jon. For a moment he wondered if David had been forced to change his hiding-place. He raised his head and whistled the peewit's call three times. The third time he thought he heard an answering call, but it was very faint and far away.

Tom was puzzled now and rather worried. It was possible that Jon, if he was still at his post in the spinney, had heard him and answered; but the signal he had caught - if it was not imagination - had not seemed to come from that direction. Then he had no more time for wondering what had happened to the others, for he looked down and saw that the man was now in front of the flock.