"Let me introduce you to Pompey," said he."Pompey is the pride of the local draghounds, no very great flier, as his build will show, but a staunch hound on a scent.Well, Pompey, you may not be fast, but I expect you will be too fast for a couple of middle-aged London gentlemen, so I will take the liberty of fastening this leather leash to your collar.Now, boy, come along, and show what you can do." He led him across to the doctor's door.The dog sniffed round for an instant, and then with a shrill whine of excitement started off down the street, tugging at his leash in his efforts to go faster.In half an hour, we were clear of the town and hastening down a country road.
"What have you done, Holmes?" I asked.
"A threadbare and venerable device, but useful upon occasion.
I walked into the doctor's yard this morning and shot my syringe full of aniseed over the hind wheel.A draghound will follow aniseed from here to John o' Groat's, and our friend Armstrong would have to drive through the Cam before he would shake Pompey off his trail.Oh, the cunning rascal!
This is how he gave me the slip the other night."The dog had suddenly turned out of the main road into a grass-grown lane.Half a mile farther this opened into another broad road, and the trail turned hard to the right in the direction of the town, which we had just quitted.The road took a sweep to the south of the town and continued in the opposite direction to that in which we started.