herself at the fire, and the stout soldier stanched and bound
his own wound apart; and soon he and Gerard and Margaret were supping
royally on broiled venison.

They were very merry; and Gerard, with wonderful thoughtfulness, had
brought a flask of Schiedam, and under its influence Martin revived,
and told them how the venison was got; and they all made merry over the
exploit.

Their mirth was strangely interrupted. Margaret's eye became fixed and
fascinated, and her cheek pale with fear. She gasped, and could not
speak, but pointed to the window with trembling finger. Their eyes
followed hers, and there in the twilight crouched a dark form with eyes
like glowworms.

It was the leopard.

While they stood petrified, fascinated by the eyes of green fire, there
sounded in the wood a single deep bay. Martin trembled at it.

"They have lost her, and laid muzzled bloodhounds on her scent;
they will find her here, and the venison. Good-bye, friends, Martin
Wittenhaagen ends here."

Gerard seized his bow, and put it into the soldier's hands.

"Be a man," he cried; "shoot her, and fling her into the wood ere they
come up. Who will know?"

More voices of hounds broke out, and nearer.

"Curse her!" cried Martin; "I spared her once; now she must die, or I,
or both more likely;" and he reared his bow, and drew his arrow to the
head.

"Nay! nay!" cried Margaret, and seized the arrow. It broke in half: the
pieces fell on each side the bow. The air at the same time filled with
the tongues of the hounds: they were hot upon the scent.

"What have you done, wench? You have put the halter round my throat."

"No!" cried Margaret. "I have saved you: stand back from the window,
both! Your knife, quick!"

She seized his long-pointed knife, almost tore it out of his girdle, and
darted from the room. The house was now surrounded with baying dogs and
shouting men.

The glowworm eyes moved not.

CHAPTER IX

Margaret cut off a huge piece of venison, and ran to the window and
threw it out to the green eyes of fire. They darted on to it with a
savage snarl; and there was a sound of rending and crunching: at this
moment, a hound uttered a bay so near and loud it rang through the
house; and the three at the window shrank together. Then the leopard
feared for her supper, and glided swiftly and stealthily away with it
towards the woods, and the very next moment horses and men and dogs came
helter-skelter past the window, and fo