The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-01-06

no one seemed to notice it. The rustic
of the stream at the foot of the garden
was broken by a splash, ana in a min
ute or two a guest at my elbow a
man III the G~hoorkas, home on leave
whispered, Look! under the hedge
there; it's stalking the dog"
We looked where he pointed, huI
could see nothing more than a patch
OF blackness that might have been any
thing or nothing. AS we looked, this
patch Of shadow detached itself from
the rest and slid str ut across the
lawn towards the miserable dog, whi-h
whined wretchedly, but made no effort
TO escape his fate.
Angels and ministers of grace, said
the Doctor, q" It's he Grey Shadow
that I said didn't exist" and he
crossed himself.
1t was a great amorphous shape OF
grey hair. like a huge skye-terrier, and
it lOilOped across the lawn with the
regular limping dog-trOt of an old wolf,
but it was far bigger than the biggest
wolf. and there was q certain horrible
humanity about it, as though the seal
of a man were inhabiting the body of
this demon. With a great bound ii
prang upon the unhappy dog (Which
had just turned to run). and in another
minute was c~rOuChing on its launches,
using either paw alternately to feed It
self with the quivering fragments Of
the unhappy little brute.
With a yell of disgust We dashed
back after Estmere into the room-five
all told: the Doctor, the subaltern, my
self and two Others-and snatching
pixies from the trophy Oh the wall, we
rushed out bareheaded and in evening
dress into the garden and charged
down one OF the boX-tree alleys after
the grey thing that fed at our APP
DrOach. Before We got clear of the call
hedges shadow, We heard once more
the splash OF the thing as it took the
water.
The little Doctor, who was leading.
stood for q second on the bank looking
ridiCIlOusly disproportiOnate to his
thirtean-fOot pike, and then, with ii
great view haIlo2," topped ~valiantly
in and struggled across waist-deep.
The rest followed him, save n who,
going roUnd by the bridge, lost his
place il u hunt for SOod and all.
The ching was fairly visible now-a
grew shadow sliding in and out
amongst the gOrse bushes, and n
what distressed apparently by the
StHepness OF the hill.
We were almost at the top Of the
hillside by now, thanked and fronted by
the seTri-circle OF the forest, and hard
upon he thing We were hunting
There's barbed wire about the forest
here" said EstInere. well catch him
- III .NA v y. Ii
eeInCd TO be Of much the same opinion
for, wheeling short round, it Iii
charging down upon Us. pare L r.
. CeiVe CGV'lrv.' shouted the subaltern.
n the Doctor muttcred, STEADY the
Fogs," ae w closed in. shoulder to
shoulder. and halted with our pixies
held level. The thing came straight on
as if to spit itself upon the points, and
then-there mas n smart and = flying
shadow against the moor, followed by
a crash and the pGtter OF feet. The
thing had ieapt the pike-pOiEts, broken
our line. and was running headicns
for the r~ight-hand arm OF the wood,
while one Of our party lay face up
wards or the ground.
"On with We. bhOys." quoth the suf-
fereT as wc hesitated. sure it's kilt I
am. but not kilt intoirely, and any
Ways I'm qualified 10 tend to meself
and sign me own death-Certiticate, if
necessary
IEstmere. the man in the Ghurkas.
and myself. were halfway 20 the forest
by the time he'd finished, leaving the
rest OF the party beside him. But
though we strained every nerve. the
thing had disappeared into the wood
before We reached the fence.
Go in yelled the subqltern, rs he
jumped the wires This beats o X
hunting"
IN 3llOllHE second j ni0 scrambled
over. - EStnere scrambled throuGn.
and was lodging in and out amongst
the t~rCe-trunks, with my w~eapou-a
scythe-blade. set straight on Il six-fnor
pole-held low by my side to avoid
catching in J. branches
20 ten or fifteen minutes I charged
on headlOrC, hot with the spirit of the
chase. striking at bushes, and hunting
the shadows OF the trees. At the end
of that tim" ! had the breath knocked
out of me by . fall and, hating. dis.
covered that ! was hopelessly lost and
b~cwiidered.
The moon was down and the trees
obscured what light might have been
given b. the stars. The air, though
still. was raw. n the wood dripped
with the ho2r frost, while my clothes
insufficient 10 begin with-were sop
ping from my plunge IN the stream.
and tattered with brambles.
The forest. l knew. stretched Cor
any miles II il I went forward ]
should probably either get more AMI
more entagled in it. or walk round in
a circle till 7 dropped from sheer ex-
haustlon.
But 4 touch OF the old African agi,-
waking in my bones convinced me that
it was more dangerous to sit still chan
to move about, and having shouted
haif-a-dozen times without answer, !
booh ~ ikS "NikOi1 GAIN btSAAA " IN
the most miserable sentry-go / have
! ever experienced, back and fro between
two great trees.
think must have fallen asleep at
my post, for TIL ext thing l rem@ra-
Der is springing up tingling with fear,
and aching with exposure, as the long
Tow howl which had startled us In the
smoking-rOom seemed to be yelled IN
10 my ear. / listened i%ntently, and as
the howl was repeated / hurried to-
wards Il. when suddenly there follow
ed = Shout and then n scream, such a
one, that / have prayed for ten years
to ne permitted to forget it.
I dashed on headlOng, for it We're
better 20 meet even the grey thing It
seIr thar to stand in that ~accursad
wood with that cry in my ears, pictur-
ing some horrible abortion in every
Clump OF b~ambles. At last half wilJ
with pain. thoroughly frightened. and
utterly cold n miserable. l came &c
: little clearing, where the false dawn
that had alre ady ECU TO turn the
SKY grey. a ~ me light enough Il