ver," he said. "Here, you stop and hold
the dog, while I go in."

"What, hold him?"

"Yes, to be sure. I won't be long."

"But, uncle," I said, "he looks such a brute, as if he'd eat a fellow."

"My dear Cob, I sha'n't be above a quarter of an hour. He couldn't get
through more than one leg by that time."

"Now you're laughing at me," I said.

"Hold the dog, then, you young coward!"

"I'm not," I said in an injured tone; and I caught at the leather thong,
for if it had been a lion I should have held on then.

I wanted to say, "Don't be long," but I was ashamed, and I looked rather
wistfully over my shoulder as he went in, leaving me with the dog.

Piter uttered a low whine as the door closed, and then growled angrily
and gave a short deep-toned bark.

This done, he growled at me, smelled me all round, making my legs seem
to curdle as his blunt nose touched them, and then after winding the
thong round me twice he stood up on his hind-legs, placing his paws
against my chest and his ugly muzzle between them.

My heart was beating fast, but the act was so friendly that I patted the
great head; and the end of it was, that I sat down on the door-step, and
when Uncle Bob came out again Piter and I had fraternised, and he had
been showing me as hard as he could that he was my born slave, that he
was ready for a bit of fun at any time, and also to defend me against
any enemy who should attack.

Piter's ways were simple. To show the first he licked my hand. For the
second, he turned over on his back, patted at me with his paws, and
mumbled my legs, took a hold of my trousers and dragged at them, and
butted at me with his bullet head. For the last, he suddenly sprang to
his feet as a step was heard, crouched by me ready for a spring, and
made some thunder inside him somewhere.

This done, he tried to show me what fun it was to tie himself up in a
knot with the leathern thong, and strangle himself till his eyes stood
out of his head.

"Why, you have made friends," said Uncle Bob, coming out. "Good dog,
then."

"May I go?" I said eagerly.

"Yes. They've given in. I had a hard fight, sir, so you must do me
credit."

Half an hour after, we four were on our way to our own works, just as if
we were stealing through the dark to commit a burglary, and I noticed
that though there were no swords and guns, each of my uncles carried a
very stout heavy stick, that seemed to me like a yard of bad headache,
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