ut, so that it struck the wooden wall heavily,
and fell to the floor unbroken.

"Missed--missed!" shrieked the man; "and he's springing at me again!
Keep him back--keep him back! Ah!"

The shriek he uttered was horrible, as he went through all the movements
of one struggling wildly against the attacks of a savage beast, and then
suddenly dropped down cowering into the corner, panting loudly.

Meanwhile Tregelly had picked up the bottle and held it to his nostrils,
before glancing at the side.

"That's mine," he growled. "They found that, then. I got it for
spirits, case I was took ill in the night; but it was so bad I never
used none, and put it on the corner of the shelf. It's poison, that's
what it is; much like paraffin as can be. Nice stuff for a man like
that!"

"The man's mad," said Dallas, with a shudder.

"Yes," whispered Abel; "don't you see, Dal? It's one of three who
attacked us up in the pass."

"Yes; there's no doubt about that," said Dallas.

"He's the man who attacked me the other night. I'm sure as can be."

"Oh, that's him, is it?" said Tregelly with a deep, angry growl. "Well,
it'll be a long time before he attacks you again, my son."

"Is it fever?" said Dallas.

"'M! no, my son; I've seen a man took like that before. I should say
it's hydrophoby, from the bite of a dog; and he's been doctoring himself
with that paraffin stuff till he's madder than ever."

The sight before them had so taken up their attention that for the
moment Scruff's pursuit of the other two had been forgotten; but now it
was brought vividly back to mind by a dull thump at the door, and the
scratching of claws, and as the door yielded, the great dog forced its
way in, with his red tongue lolling out, and panting loudly with his
exertions.

The effect was magical. The man upon the couch could not have seen or
heard the dog, but he seemed to divine the great animal's presence, and
springing up again from where he cowered, he began to shriek again
horribly.

"The dog--the dog!" he yelled--"tearing me to pieces! Mad--mad!
Shoot--shoot, I say!"

But attention was taken from him to the action of the dog.

As soon as the ghastly, distorted face in the corner rose, and the
shrieks began to fill the hut, the dog paused by the door, with the
thick hair about his neck bristling up till the animal looked double his
former size, and a low, muttering, thunderous growl came from his
grinning jaws.

The next mome