uld miss the hanging of the Beaver.

And so he mused, till his eyes chanced to fall upon Batard, head between
fore paws and stretched on the ground asleep. And their Leclere ceased
to muse. He studied the animal closely, striving to sense if the sleep
were real or feigned. Batard's sides were heaving regularly, but Leclere
felt that the breath came and went a shade too quickly; also he felt that
there was a vigilance or alertness to every hair that belied unshackling
sleep. He would have given his Sunrise claim to be assured that the dog
was not awake, and once, when one of his joints cracked, he looked
quickly and guiltily at Batard to see if he roused. He did not rouse
then but a few minutes later he got up slowly and lazily, stretched, and
looked carefully about him.

"_Sacredam_," said Leclere under his breath.

Assured that no one was in sight or hearing, Batard sat down, curled his
upper lip almost into a smile, looked up at Leclere, and licked his
chops.

"Ah see my feenish," the man said, and laughed sardonically aloud.

Batard came nearer, the useless ear wabbling, the good ear cocked forward
with devilish comprehension. He thrust his head on one side quizzically,
and advanced with mincing, playful steps. He rubbed his body gently
against the box till it shook and shook again. Leclere teetered
carefully to maintain his equilibrium.

"Batard," he said calmly, "look out. Ah keel you."

Batard snarled at the word and shook the box with greater force. Then he
upreared, and with his fore paws threw his weight against it higher up.
Leclere kicked out with one foot, but the rope bit into his neck and
checked so abruptly as nearly to overbalance him.

"Hi, ya! _Chook_! _Mush-on_!" he screamed.

Batard retreated, for twenty feet or so, with a fiendish levity in his
bearing that Leclere could not mistake. He remembered the dog often
breaking the scum of ice on the water hole by lifting up and throwing his
weight upon it; and remembering, he understood what he now had in mind.
Batard faced about and paused. He showed his white teeth in a grin,
which Leclere answered; and then hurled his body through the air, in full
charge, straight for the box.

Fifteen minutes later, Slackwater Charley and Webster Shaw returning,
caught a glimpse of a ghostly pendulum swinging back and forth in the dim
light. As they hurriedly drew in closer, they made out the man's inert
body, and a live thing that clung to it