ew all about him, and he
would not show him such respect if there were anything amiss.

I had just got as far as this in my thoughts when I heard a cheery hail,
and there was the Major himself coming down the hill from his house,
with his big bulldog Bounder held in leash. This dog was a savage
creature, and had caused more than one accident on the countryside; but
the Major was very fond of it, and would never go out without it, though
he kept it tied with a good thick thong of leather. Well, just as I was
looking at the Major, waiting for him to come up, he stumbled with his
lame leg over a branch of gorse, and in recovering himself he let go his
hold of the leash, and in an instant there was the beast of a dog flying
down the hillside in my direction.

I did not like it, I can tell you; for there was neither stick nor stone
about, and I knew that the brute was dangerous. The Major was shrieking
to it from behind, and I think that the creature thought that he was
hallooing it on, so furiously did it rush. But I knew its name, and I
thought that maybe that might give me the privileges of
acquaintanceship; so as it came at me with bristling hair and its nose
screwed back between its two red eyes, I cried out "Bounder! Bounder!"
at the pitch of my lungs. It had its effect, for the beast passed me
with a snarl, and flew along the path on the traces of Bonaventure de
Lapp.

He turned at the shouting, and seemed to take in the whole thing at a
glance; but he strolled along as slowly as ever. My heart was in my
mouth for him, for the dog had never seen him before; and I ran as fast
as my feet would carry me to drag it away from him. But somehow, as it
bounded up and saw the twittering finger and thumb which de Lapp held
out behind him, its fury died suddenly away, and we saw it wagging its
thumb of a tail and clawing at his knee.

"Your dog then, Major?" said he, as its owner came hobbling up. "Ah, it
is a fine beast--a fine, pretty thing!"

The Major was blowing hard, for he had covered the ground nearly as fast
as I.

"I was afraid lest he might have hurt you," he panted.

"Ta, ta, ta!" cried de Lapp. "He is a pretty, gentle thing; I always
love the dogs. But I am glad that I have met you, Major; for here is
this young gentleman, to whom I owe very much, who has begun to think
that I am a spy. Is it not so, Jack?"

I was so taken aback by his words that I could not lay my tongue to an
answer, but colou