The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1921-01-13
Copyright. 1920 by Little, Brown & Co

that Hfldreth would nave CHOSEN, ana
it had been all the evidence that was
needed. at the meeting Of the ring the
night before, to adjudge F1fldreth a
merciless and immediate end. Hill
dreth would have preferred to wait In
the hills and possibly to write another
letter, but chill that kept growing
at his finger tips forbade it. And all
these things combined to stretch his
nerves almost to the breaking point
as ne stole along the moonlit trail IN
der the pines.
A moment before the rush and whir
of the grouse flock had dried the roof
of his mouth with terror The tall
trees appalled, him. the shadows fell
upon his spirit. And when he heard
this final sound, when he saw the
CLINT that might so easily have been q
gun-barrel, his nerIrS and muscles re"
acted at once. Not even a fraction OK
a second interviewed. HIS gun flashed
up and a little, angry cylinder of
flame darted, as a snakes head darts,
from the muzzle.
Hildreth didn't take aim. There
wasn't time. The report rOared in the
darkness; the bullet sang harmlossly
and thudded into the earth and both
of them were tho last things in the
world that Cranston had expect
ed. And they were not a moment too
soon. Even at that instant, his finger
was closing down upon the trigger,
Hildreth standing clear and revealed
through the sights. The nervous re-
Spouse that few men in the world
H. n oh fn
| prevent occurred at the same instant
that he pressed the trigger. His own
fire answered, so near to the other
| that both of them sounded as one re-
port.
Most hunters can usually tell even
| if they cannot see their game fall,
| whether they have hit. or missed. ,EhiG
| was one of the few times in his life
that Cranston could not have told He
| knew that as his finger pressed he had
| held as accurate a "bead" as at any
time in his life. He did not Know still
| another circumstance-that fh the
| moonlight he had overeStimated the
| distance to the clearing, and instead
| of one hundred yards it was scarcely
| fifty. He had held rather high. And
had succeeded or whether he was face
20 face with the prospects OF a duel
! to the death in the darkness
| And all he saw was Hildreth, rock
! ing back and forth in the moonlight
a strange picture that he was neve~
entirely to forget. It was a motiOe
that no man could pretend. And he
knew he had not missed.
He waited till he saw the form of
his enemy rock down, face half-buried
in the pine needles. 1t never even oc-
| Cured to him to approach to see If he
had made a clean kill. He had held
| on the breast and he had q world Of
! confidence in his great, shocking, big
game rifle Besides, the rifle fire might
attract some hunter in the hills: and
there would be time In the morning
to return to the body and make Ger.
tain little Investigations that he had
in mind And running back down the
trail, he missed the sight of Hildreth
dragging his wounded body, like an
injured hare, into the shelter of the
thickets.
| Whisperfoot, that great coward,
| came out Of his brush-covert when tina
| moon rose. It was not his usual rising
| time. Ordinarily he found his best
hunting in the eerie light Of the tw1-
| light hour; but for certain reasons,
his knowledge Of which would De ex-
tremely difficult to explain, he let this
| time go by in slumber. WhisperfOot
had slept almost since dawn. 1t is
significant quality in the felines that
they simply cannot keep in condition
without hours and hours of sleep. In
this matter of sleeping, they are in
direct contrast to the wolves, who
seemingly never sleep az all, unless II
is with one eye open, and in st1l
greater contrast to the Etng Of all
| beasts, the elephant, who IL said to
.slumber less per night than that great
electrical wizard whom all men know
and praise.
The great cat came out yawning, as
graceful a thing as treadS upon the
earth. He was almost nine feet long
from the tip of his nose to the end OF
| his tail and he weighed as much as
many a full-grown man. He stood and
yawned insolently. for all the forest
world to see. He rather hoped that
the chipmunk, staring with beady eyes
from his doorway, did see him. He
would just as soon that WOof's little
son, the bear cub, should see him too,
But he wasn't SO particular about
Woof himself, or tire wolf pack whose
song had just Weakened him. And
above all things he wanted to keep
out of the sight Of men.