The fat man now spoke in German. 'Let's go,' he said. 'This fellow is all right.'
They asked me one more question. 'Did anyone go past here early this morning? Perhaps he was riding a bicycle.'
I thought about this question for a moment. Then I said, 'Well, I was a bit late this morning. My daughter came home from London yesterday and we had a party last night. I opened the door about seven o'clock, and there was nobody on the road then.'
The three men said good-bye to me and went back to their car. Three minutes later they drove away.
I felt very glad that they had gone. But I continued to work. This was wise too because the car soon returned. The three men looked at me again as they went past.
I finished Turnbull's bread and cheese and by five o'clock I had finished the work. But I was'not sure about the next step. I felt certain that my enemies were still around the place. If I walked away, they would stop me. But I had to get away from them.
I decided to go down to Turnbull's cottage. I would take his things back to him and get my coat. I would stay there until it was dark. And then I hoped to escape across the hills.
But suddenly another car came down the road and stopped. There was one man in it and he called to me.
'Have you got any matches?'
I looked at him and recognized him at once. This was a very lucky chance. His name was Marmaduke Jopley, and I had met him once or twice in London. I hated the fellow. He was a friend of rich young men and old ladies who often invited him to their homes. Well, Jopley was such a weak fellow that he could not hurt me. And I decided to act quickly.
'Hullo, Jopley,' I said. 'I'm surprised to see you here.'
His face grew pale. 'Who are you?' he asked in a nervous voice.
'Hannay,' I said. 'From Rhodesia. Don't you remember me?'
'Hannay the murderer!' he cried.
'That's right. Now listen to me. If you don't obey me quickly, I'll be Jopley's murderer too. Give me your coat and cap.'
He was so afraid that he obeyed immediately. I put on his new coat over my dusty clothes and put his cap on my head. Then I gave him Turnbull's spectacles and dirty old hat.
'Wear them for a few minutes,' I said. 'They're a very good disguise.'
I was wondering which way to go. Jopley had come from the east, and I decided to go back that way. If my enemies were watching the road, they would recognize the car. But I did not think that they would stop it. So I turned the car and drove away.
'Now, Jopley,' I said, 'if you're a good fellow, I won't hurt you. But don't try any tricks and don't talk. Remember that I'm a murderer. If you cause any trouble, I'll kill you.'
We drove eight miles along the valley. Several men were standing on the corners as we drove past. They looked carefully at the car but did not try to stop us. About seven o'clock I turned into a narrow road and drove up into the hills.
The villages and cottages were soon behind us. At last I stopped the car at a quiet place and turned it for Jopley. I gave him his coat and cap and took back Turnbull's spectacles and the old hat.
'Thank you,' I said. 'Now you can go and find the police.'
He drove away. I watched the red light of his car as it disappeared in the distance.