into all these things. The lantern and the
blunderbuss went spinning into the gulf, the great feet beat him to the
ground, and rose and jabbed down at him with all the vicious might that
lay behind them--the savage white muzzle shrilling its blood-curdling
screams of triumph all the while--and all this in the space of a second.
"Good God!" cried the Doctor, craning over the eastern bank of the
cutting, but fearful of firing into the turmoil lest he should hit Gard,
so dropped himself bodily over on to the path.

Then the Senechal's Sark eyes saw the great white head, with its flying
veil of hair, as it towered up for another vicious jab at the fallen
man, and he emptied both barrels of his gun into it.

A wild scream that shrilled along the night and woke Plaisance and Clos
Bourel and Vauroque, and the great white devil reared to his fullest
with wildly beating forefeet, toppled over backwards, and disappeared
with one hideous thud and a final crash on the shingle of Coupee Bay.

It was worse than they had ever dreamed--as bad almost as some of Gard's
own nightmares.

"Good God! Good God! Good God!" babbled the Doctor, as he groped in the
dark for what might be left of their unfortunate decoy.

"Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu!" gasped the Senechal, with catching
breath and shaking legs, as he ran round to join him in the search.

But there was no sign of Gard.

"Run, man!--Plaisance--a light!" jerked the Senechal.

"I can't see," groaned the Doctor.

"I'll go!" and he set off at the best pace his years and his shaking
legs could compass.

Plaisance was standing at its doors, trembling still at that fearsome
cry, and wondering if it was, perchance, the last trump.

At sight of the panting figure coming up from the Coupee, it scuttled
and banged the doors tight. "Open! Open, you fools!" cried the
Senechal, and flung himself against the first door, while those inside,
under the sure belief that they were keeping out the devil, heaped
themselves against it to prevent him.

"Dolts! Idiots! Fools!" he cried. "It's me--the Senechal. I want your
help!" and at that a man peeped out from the next door to make sure this
was not just another wile of the devil.

"A lantern! Quick!" ordered the Senechal. "And a blanket and a rope--and
get ready a bed for a wounded man. Come you with me and help!"

"Mais, mon Gyu----!" began the man.

"We've killed the devil, and the Doctor's down there with him----"

"But we don't wa