Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-01-01
CHAPTER III.
A WILD MAN HUNT.

1
With a savage shout, as the huge
mountaineer escaped him, Reginald
Mason sprang down the ravine after
him. He could not doubt that this
was the very man of whom he was in
search. the man who could give him. If
he chose. some news Of Granville's
fate. That this information would have
to be wrung out Of him by the ungen-
tlest means, and that, when obtained
1t would amount to little more than q
tissue of lies. he felt sure.
In the wild eyes and blanch2d checks
of Coch Tai Reginald had read the
signs of an abject, sick terror, which
warned him of what he already guess
ed. that his brothers fate had been q
tragic one and that this rough, uncouth
creature, whom he had taken for his
guide. was cogniZant, to say the least,
of the details of it.
AS he stumbled down the mountain
side in hot pursuit, indeed, Reginald
| felt not doubt but that he was chas-
ing his brothers murderer. Everything
that he had heard and seen seemed to
confirm this impression, which stamp
ed itself each moment more firmly in
his mind.
There flashed through his brain, even
as he ran, stumbling, leaping, sinking
| in the snow at every other step, those
words of the waiter ut the inn, telling
him that Coch Tai had been i'll since
the beginning of last month-the time
of Granvilles disappearance; that he
| had been seen less in the town since
that date: that he had seemed, since
then, n changed man.
These circumstances tritling in them
| selves, became important when taken
| in conjunction with the mans horror
at the sound of Reginalds voice. lie
| felt that ii was the resemblance be-
| tween his voice and his brothers
| which had struck such terror into the
| mind of the peasant-terror which had
| become more acute when he heard his
own nickname pronounced by the lips
of man whom he had never seen be-
fore.
And while these thoughts, stimulat-
ed by the fierce passion which possess
ed him, chased each other through
Reginald's mind, his feet flew from
point to point of the rough way with
ever increasing rapidity. 1t seemed
as il the exaltation of his mind had
communicated new powers to his body,
for he followed Coch Tai with more
ease, more security, than before, and,
rounding the hill at a great pace when
he reached the foot Of it, he found
himself only little way behind the
object Of his pursuit.
The peasant heard him, gave one
| look round, and uttering once more
| the cultural exclamation, like the cry
of wild bird, which had chilled Regi-
maids blood when they first came face
to face, he went on his way at
swifter pace than ever.
On they went again, pursuer and
pursued, with the snow and the wind
driving at their backs, filling up the
| crevices and the ruts in the rough foot
tracks and swirling into drifts to right
and left Of them.
Up the rough side Of a mountain
which looked as they approached 1t
like the stone wall of huge fortress
or prison; up, up, up, tearing his hands
on the crags Of rugged graystone
which jutted like pin points out Of the
snowdrifts, went Reginald, his teeth
set and his heart beating like ham,
| mer In his breast.
The mountaineer could beat him at
| this work; could climb like cat where
his pursuer could only crawl. And the
distance between the two began rapid
ly to increase. The peasant was out
Of sight when Reginald reached the
top.
There were now only the footprints
in the snow to guide him, but even as
he took the first step forward in the
track Coch Tai had made gust Of
wind, which he felt with redoubled
force on this bleak hilltop, whirled
| the snOwfakes round him in bAnd-
! ing storm, forcing him to turn and to
shelter his face. When for some Sec
onds the blast had hOwled apd whis-
tied and roared in his deafened ears
and the drifts had swept up from the
ground in binding sheets Of stinging
spray, there was a sudden lull, mo-
| mentary calm, and as the wind died
] the snow fell less heavily.