then kicked, then reared,
finally slewing round so quickly as nearly to unseat me. And now I
became aware of a strange sickly scent, almost like that of a drug--yet
how could it be? Then, as it grew stronger, it took on a vile effluvium
as of something dead. Yet; I had passed over that very spot but a few
hours back, and nothing of the kind had been there then. The horse was
now standing quite still, his head towards the way we had come, all in a
sweat and trembling violently.

And now I own that some of his scare began to take hold of me. What did
it mean--what the very deuce did it mean? What infernal witchcraft was
this that could hold me up here on a path I had ridden several times
before, on this identical horse too? Yet, here in the still ghostly
midnight hour alone, the affair began to grow dashed creepy. I made one
more attempt, and that a half-hearted one--then giving the horse the
rein let him take his own way, and that way was straight back to
Kendrew's.

Some thought of making a _detour_, and passing the bewitched point by
taking a wide sweep, came into my mind, but that would have involved
some infernally rough travelling, besides the moon wouldn't last much
longer, and who could say whether the result might not turn out the
same, for by now the witch doctor's declaration had carried its full
weight. So I was soon knocking Kendrew out of his first sleep, with
literally a lame excuse to the effect that my steed had gone lame, and
it was no use trying to get over two hours of rough road with him that
night.

"All right, old chap," sung out Kendrew, in a jolly voice, as he let me
in. "Have a glass of grog first, and then we'll take him round to the
stable. You can turn in in any room you like."

I hoped he wouldn't notice that neither then nor on the following
morning did my horse show the slightest sign of lameness. But I had
made up my mind to say no word to him of what had occurred--and didn't.

CHAPTER TEN.

FALKNER PUGNACIOUS.

"Well but--who are you? What's your name? Ain't ashamed of it, are
you?"

"Ashamed of it? I'll darned soon let you know if I am or not, and teach
you to keep a civil tongue in your head into the bargain."

Such was the dialogue that came to my ears very early on the morning
following the events just recorded. The voices were right in front of
my window and I chuckled, for I knew them both--knew one for that of my
present host, the other for that of n