or brief periods. But it always
returned, and every time it did so Spencer naturally imagined it had
seen the pack returning, and that the worst was in store for him. But at
length, about noon, the brute went out and did not come back.

Spencer waited and waited, fearing to move lest the creature should only
be outside, fearing to tarry lest he should miss his only chance of
escaping. After about an hour of this suspense he crept to the mouth of
the cave. No living creature was within sight. He got upon his faltering
feet, and hurried away as fast as his weakness would permit; but his
condition was so deplorable that he had not covered a mile when he
collapsed in a faint.

Fortune, however, favours the brave; and although he fell where he might
easily have remained for years without being discovered, he was found
the same day by a party of Boers, who dressed his wounds, gave him food
and drink (which he had not touched for two days), and helped him by
easy stages to the coast.

Being a man of iron constitution, he made a rapid and complete recovery,
but his wrist, ankle, arms, and thigh still bear the marks of the
hideous teeth which, but for his marvellous strength of will, would have
torn him, living, to shreds.

II

THE VEGA VERDE MINE

Jim Cayley clambered over the refuse-heaps of the mine, rejoicing in a
tremendous appetite which he was soon to have the pleasure of
satisfying.

There was also something else.

Little Toro, the kiddy from Cuba--"Somebody's orphan," the Spaniards of
the mine called him, with a likely hit at the truth--little Toro had
been to the Lago Frio with Jim, to see that he didn't drown of cramp or
get eaten by one of the mammoth trout, and had hinted at dark doings to
be wrought that very day, at closing time or thereabouts.

Hitherto, Jim had not quite justified his presence at the Vega Verde
mine, some four thousand feet above sea-level in these wilds of
Asturias. To be sure, he was there for his health. But Mr. Summerfield,
the other engineer in partnership with Alfred Cayley, Jim's brother,
had, in a thoughtless moment, termed Jim "an idle young dog," and the
phrase had stuck. Jim hadn't liked it, and tried to say so.
Unfortunately, he stammered, and Don Ferdinando (Mr. Summerfield) had
laughed and gone off, saying he couldn't wait.

_Now_ it was Jim's chance. He felt that this was so, and he rejoiced in
the sensation as well as in his appetite and the thought of the
e