The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-30

ear. Cato" he said. attempt TO run now,
and. by God. III save the dogs the trouble
of grabbing your living carcassl Come
here! Up that tree with your pointing TO
TO a swamp magnolia. Don't move as long
as | can stand here. ard when I'm down.
bet not till then, save yourself the best you
car"
lie half helped. half dragged the now pas
slye African TO the solitary tree; as the bay
OF single houHd came nearer the negro con-
yulsively scrambled from Courtland's knee
and shoulder to the fork of branches dozen
feet from the ground. CORTLAND drew his
revolver and stepping back in the open
waited the attack.
1t came Unexpectedly from behind A
sudden yelp of painting cruelty and frenZed
anticipation at Courtland's back caused him
TO change front quickly as the dripping
langs ana snaky, oOa-Hke neck of a weird
gray shadow passed him. With an
Wful supeTnaturalness OF instinct 1t kept
on in an unerr;Dg line TO the
Hateful trecl But that dread directBess of
scent was CourtlanG's opportunity. His re-
vOlyer flashed out in an aim us unerriug. The
brute, pierced through the neck and brain,
dashed on against the tree in his impetus
ana then rolled over against it In CULVER
ing bulk. Again another bay come from
tho same direction. CORTLAND knew that
his pursuers had 0uthanked him and the
bOOdhOunds were crossing the swamp. But
lie was prepared. Again the same weird
shadow, as spectral and mons tTous as
dream, dashed cut into the brief light Of the
open, but this time IL was stopped
and rolled over conyulsively before it
had crossed. Flushed with the fire
of fight in his veins, CORTLAND turned furi-
ouSly from the fallen brutes TO meet the
onset of the more cowardly hunters, whom
he knew were at his heels AT that moment
it would have Jared Ill with the foremost
No longer the calculating and diplomatic
manager, no longer the c0ol-headed arbiter
Of conflicting interels, he was ready to meet
them not only with the intrepid instincts OF
soldier, but with an aroused partisan fury
equal to their own. To his surprise no one
followed; the baying OF a third hound
seemed 10 be sileDced and checked;
the silence was broken only by
The sound OF distant diSputing voices
and the uneasy tramping of hOOfs.
This was followed by two or three
rifle shots, but not either in the direction of
the quarters or the D0ws' dwelling house.
There evidently was some interruption In
the pursuit-a diversion of some kind had
taken place-but what he knew not. He
could think OF no one who might have in
terfeTred 10 his behalf and the shouting and
wraDgling seemed to be carried on in the
accents Of one sectional party. He called
cautiously 10 Cate. The negro did not re-
ply. He crossed TO the tree and shook IL
imTatiently. Its boughs were empty; Cato
was gone! The miserable negro must have
taken advantage of the first diversion IN
his favor to escape. But where and how,
there was nothing left to indicate.
As CORTLAND had taken little note of the
trail he had no idea of his whereabouts.
lie knew he must return TO the fringe OF
cypress TO be able TO cross the open field
and gain the negro quarters. where it was
still possible that Cato had fed. Taking
general direction from the few stars visible
above the opening he began TO retrace his
steps. Bnt he had no longer the negr0's
woodcrsft TO guide him. At times his feet
were caught In trailing vines, which
seemed to coil around his ankles with ON
nous suggestiveness. At times the yield
ing soil beneath his tread showed his
perilous proximity to the swamp, as well as
the fact that he was beginning to incline
toward that dread circle. which is the hope
less instinct OF all lost and straying human