quite beyond comparison.

"This is Nels, one of the four greatest hunters in India."

Nels came to him at once. With a searching regard he looked into
Skag's face one long moment, then a glow came up in his eyes and he
swung about and stretched himself alongside Skag's chair, reached his
arms out before him and laid his chin on them, almost touching the
man's foot. Skag leaned over and stroked the big head. It felt like
sealskin, but it was soft clean grey colour.

"Nels has adopted you, Wonder Man!"

The lady on the couch spoke like a small child, marvelling.

"I am glad to have his friendship. But I wish, if you will excuse me,
I wish that you wouldn't call me by that name. Skag is not my real
name, but the few friends I have call me Skag. I'd be pleased if you
would call me that."

"That's very nice of you, but do you much mind? I like Wonder Man
better."

"I don't believe I quite understand why."

"Partly from things I've heard about you. But rather more on account
of what I've seen just now. I fancy the natives are not far wrong and
you are a wonder man to them. . . . If you do this sort of thing,
delivering people who are in danger of their lives, and getting the
devotion of creatures as hard to win as Nels, I can see that you are
going to have a great reputation in this India. And you are not to be
in the least disturbed if I call you Wonder Man; I am believing the
title is prophetic at least."

"What I'm doing for you is only what any man would do. If you hear me
outside to-night, don't be startled. I'll get the beast as soon as I
can. If there's more than one, I'll stay around till they're cleaned
out."

Soon after dusk Skag circled out into the jungle. He carried one of
the best hunting-pieces made and plenty of ammunition. Taking a
position in sight of the tent on the jungle side, he waited. Within
half an hour a little puppy began to bark. No man alive could ever
know it was anything but a puppy. It yapped and whimpered a while and
then it began to get frightened. He moved toward it, but it stopped.
For several minutes there was silence. Then another one began back of
him. He slipped through the shadows with the utmost caution, but
before he got near it, it also stopped. This occurred several times.
At last, away in another direction, a wild, grating laugh broke out.
He turned at once and moved carefully but swiftly to come in range
between it and the tent.

This laugh