ll
at the eyes, and heard a screech that sounded as if his blazing missile
had struck its mark.

[Illustration: While Billy stood there hesitating, the creature gave
another of its alarming growls.]

There was a swift patter of feet and the eyes vanished.

"Great Christmas, I've scared the creature off," said Billy to himself,
with a sigh of relief; "a lucky thing I had that torch."

He walked forward more boldly. The evident alarm of the animal that had
scared him, when the torch struck, convinced the boy that there was no
more danger to be feared from it. In a few seconds more he was out in
the open air and on a hillside.

It was still pitch dark, but the stars seemed to be growing fainter.
Billy drew out his watch and, striking a match, looked at it. The hands
pointed to three-thirty.

"It will be daylight before long," thought Billy. "If I start walking
now I will only lose myself. I'll wait till it gets light and then try
to get my bearings."

Never had dawn come so slowly as did that one, in the opinion of the
tired and impatient lad. But at last the eastern sky grew faintly gray
and then flushed red, and another day was born. In the growing light,
Billy stood up and looked about him. The bay or any familiar landmarks
were not in sight. Billy was in a quandary. But before long he came to a
decision.

"I'll strike out for a main road," he decided; "if I can find one, that
will bring me to where I can get some information, at any rate."

With this end in view, he scrambled down the hillside and found himself
in some fields. After a half-hour's walk across these, he saw, with
delight, that he had not miscalculated his direction. A road lay just
beyond a brush hedge.

Billy made his way through a gap and struck off, in what he was
tolerably sure was the way to Musky Bay. If he had but known it,
however, he was proceeding in an exactly opposite direction. He had
walked about a mile when another foot passenger hove in sight.

The lad was glad of this at first, for, although he had walked some
distance, he had not passed a house, nor had any vehicles come by. But a
second glance at the man who was coming toward him made him by no means
so pleased at his appearance. The other foot passenger was a heavily
built man with a lowering brow. He wore clothes that savored of a
nautical character.

"Hullo, there, young feller," he said, as he halted to allow Billy to
come up to him.

"Good morning," said Billy. "