e whole scene--people, words, tents, and all the rest of it--were
delusions created by the intense excitement of my own mind somehow, and
that suddenly the sea-fog would clear off and the world become normal
again.

The cold air from the sea stung our cheeks sharply as we left the close
atmosphere of the little crowded tent. The sighing of the trees, the
waves breaking below on the rocks, and the lines and patches of mist
driving about us seemed to create the momentary illusion that the whole
island had broken loose and was floating out to sea like a mighty raft.

The doctor moved just ahead of me, quickly and silently; he was making
straight for the Canadian's tent where the sides still boomed and shook
as the creature of sinister life raced and tore about impatiently
within. A little distance from the door he paused and held up a hand to
stop me. We were, perhaps, a dozen feet away.

"Before I release it, you shall see for yourself," he said, "that the
reality of the werewolf is beyond all question. The matter of which it
is composed is, of course, exceedingly attenuated, but you are partially
clairvoyant--and even if it is not dense enough for normal sight you
will see something."

He added a little more I could not catch. The fact was that the
curiously strong vibrating atmosphere surrounding his person somewhat
confused my senses. It was the result, of course, of his intense
concentration of mind and forces, and pervaded the entire Camp and all
the persons in it. And as I watched the canvas shake and heard it boom
and flap I heartily welcomed it. For it was also protective.

At the back of Sangree's tent stood a thin group of pine trees, but in
front and at the sides the ground was comparatively clear. The flap was
wide open and any ordinary animal would have been out and away without
the least trouble. Dr. Silence led me up to within a few feet, evidently
careful not to advance beyond a certain limit, and then stooped down and
signalled to me to do the same. And looking over his shoulder I saw the
interior lit faintly by the spectral light reflected from the fog, and
the dim blot upon the balsam boughs and blankets signifying Sangree;
while over him, and round him, and up and down him, flew the dark mass
of "something" on four legs, with pointed muzzle and sharp ears plainly
visible against the tent sides, and the occasional gleam of fiery eyes
and white fangs.

I held my breath and kept utterly still, inwar