e closed his eyes. As he did so
the hand released his ear. Conscious of sweet relief from the dread pain
now, he opened his eyes again, only to discover that he could not see!

Here was new distress! He did not understand it. He knew that his eyes
were open; knew that it was the time of sunshine; knew with grim
certainty that he was awake. Yet he could not see! He flung up his head;
tossed it across and back; flung it down again. Yet the unnatural
darkness! He took to pawing the ground. He began to recall his
surroundings before this strange darkness had descended upon him--the
girl outside the fence, the spectators upon the fence, the tormentors
inside the fence, the glorious sunlight, the distant shimmering
mountains, the stable and outhouses and cottage. But all were gone from
him now. Everything was black with the blackness of night! Again he
tossed his head--and again and again. But still the darkness! He was
afraid.

Here came a change. Across his vision leaped sudden flashing lights,
myriads of them, dancing strangely before him. Gripped in new fear, he
watched them closely, saw them hurry, pause, hurry again, all in
dazzling array. They kept it up. Breathlessly he saw them dart to and
fro, speed near, whirl and twist, until out of sheer distress he closed
his eyes for relief. But he got no relief. He saw the lights as before,
saw them dancing and pirouetting before his eyes, and suddenly whisk
away, as though satiated with their fiendishness. But they left him limp
and faint and with a throbbing pain in his head. Again he stamped the
earth and shook his head. But the darkness clung. He could not throw off
the thing before his eyes. Yet he persisted. He tossed his head until
dizziness seized him. Then he stopped all effort and relaxed. His head
began to droop; he let it droop, low and lower, until he smelled the
earth. This aroused him. His spirit of fight rose again. He jerked up
his head, sounded a defiant outcry, stiffened his legs for action. This
for a moment only, for he did not act--somehow felt it was not yet time.
But he gave way to a grim restlessness. He took to rocking like a
chained elephant--from right hind to left fore, from left hind to right
fore legs--changing, always changing.

"Well, old son," came a voice on his chaotic thoughts, "we've just found
a bridle that'll suit. But it took us a mean long time to do it, didn't
it?"

Pat stopped swaying. He stopped suddenly, as one checked by a mig