Bert owned no watch, but he knew it was getting into the small hours of the morning when he approached the domicile of Gus and Gord Leach. He saw a light twinkling through a window, and for a moment he entertained a wild hope that Lucy Marshall might have been keeping a lamp burning to attract the attention of passers by. Realising the improbability of this, however, he decided that they must be early risers on the Hammer Brand.
Aware that men might be out doing chores around the stables, he was compelled to make his approach most cautious. Having already decided to attempt crossing the river if things went wrong, he made a wide circle about the house until he was approximately between it and the river.
The buildings were farther from the stream than he had thought, and the land between
