‘Seen anybody go by here, governor?’ ‘What, one of your gents?’ answered Mr. Jarvis. ‘No, that I ain’t. There ain’t ne’er a one passed here.’ The officer hesitated. ‘Perhaps you wouldn’t mind letting us look inside,’ he said presently. ‘Look, and welcome, master! answered Mrs. Jarvis. Then, bridling up, she added, ‘A pretty fine thing, indeed! What d’ye think we should want a-harbourin’ conwicks for?’ The officer, without vouchsafing a reply, searched the two living-vans thoroughly, and then, satisfied that his prey was not in them, apologized, and held a council of war among his followers. If the convict had not passed the caravan he could not be on that road. The man who had informed him he had seen a convict running that way must have been mistaken. The snow was so hard and crisp on the roadway that no footsteps were visible. It would be better to turn back and try in another direction. The warder and his party returned, and the caravan went jolting on its way. Hardly had the pursuers disappeared in the mist, when Mrs. Jarvis’s attention was attracted to the baggage-waggon in the rear. The tarpaulin flung over it was moving. This waggon was unoccupied, the horse following mechanically the vehicles ahead of him. Mr. Jarvis, attracted by his wife’s exclamation, looked, and he too distinctly saw the tarpaulin move. He stood still in the roadway till the horse came up to him, and stopped it. As he did so he distinctly heard a low groan. ‘Now then, governor!’ he exclaimed, ‘whoever you are, come out o’ that.’ No answer, only a groan deeper than before. The two living-vans had turned a sharp corner of the road by this time, and there was no one in sight. Mr. Jarvis climbed up on to the waggon and pulled the tarpaulin back. As he did so he uttered an exclamation of astonishment. There lay the escaped convict, his face deadly pale, his eyes half shut, and his hands clenched. Mr. Jarvis shook him. ‘Here, master, this won’t do. Come, you must get out of this. We can’t have no gaol-birds here.’ The man opened his eyes. ‘Oh, sir, for God’s sake help me!’ he exclaimed. ‘Don’t give me up!—don’t give me up!’ ‘I don’t want to give you up; but I can’t harbour ye, ye know—it’s a crime.’ ‘Let me lie here, then, till I can walk!’ exclaimed the man. ‘In dodging behind the hedges I slipped and twisted my ankle. I managed to crawl into the waggon and hide among these things, or I should have been caught.’ ‘And I’ve been and turned the officers back, and declared as I hadn’t seen ye!’ exclaimed Mr. Jarvis, looking very uncomfortable.