"Heard him gettin' outer the canoe," Rube conjectured.
"You believe he came along in the canoe, then?" Kiddie interrogated.
"Well," returned Rube, "what about the tobacco pipe an' the footprint? You haven't spotted any more footprints like that one, have you, Kiddie?"
"Only one," Kiddie answered, "close beside the dog."
"H'm!" nodded Rube; "went up to her ter make sure she was dead, eh?"
"And, havin' got the watchdog outer his path," interposed the sheriff, "he went round t' th' side of your cabin, an' broke in by the winder."
"The easiest way," explained Kiddie; "you see the front door was locked, and I had the key. But it's sure he came out by the front door, leavin' it ajar."
"Seems t' have made a big scoop," said the sheriff. "Must have known where you kept all that money an' jewellery. What was it all worth, Kiddie?"
"I don't know yet," returned Kiddie. "I haven't had time to see just what he's taken an' what he has left. It's the dog that I'm troubled about most."
"Well, the first thing to do is ter get on the scoundrel's track," advised Isa Blagg. "An' he's liable to have left some traces round about that broken winder. Let's get there right now an' have a search."
Their nearest way to the cabin was past the front of the stables. Rube Carter limped forward in advance of his two companions, searching the ground as he went. Suddenly he came to a halt.
"Hallo!" he cried. "Come an' look here, Kiddie. What d'you make of this?"
He was staring down at the marks of a horse's shoes, mingled with the impressions of a man's hob-nailed boots.
"Looks like the tracks of your big horse Regent, don't it?" he questioned. "An' the bootmarks are the same's the one near the canoe."
Kiddie did not wait to make conjectures. He strode quickly towards the stables. Before he reached the building he saw that the stable door was open. He went within. His favourite English hunter, Regent, was not there. Its stall was empty.
"Stolen!" he exclaimed. "Rube--Isa, d'ye see? Regent's been stolen!"
"Then we'll sure catch him, whoever he is," said Rube. "He won't ride many miles without Regent bein' seen an' recognized by somebody that knows that hoss is yours."
"Any suspicion who it is?" asked the sheriff.