Part 17 (1/2)

Skag had never seen such a dog. For size, for proportions, for power, for dignity, he was quite beyond comparison.

”This is Nels, one of the four greatest hunters in India.”

Nels came to him at once. With a searching regard he looked into Skag's face one long moment, then a glow came up in his eyes and he swung about and stretched himself alongside Skag's chair, reached his arms out before him and laid his chin on them, almost touching the man's foot. Skag leaned over and stroked the big head. It felt like sealskin, but it was soft clean grey colour.

”Nels has adopted you, Wonder Man!”

The lady on the couch spoke like a small child, marvelling.

”I am glad to have his friends.h.i.+p. But I wish, if you will excuse me, I wish that you wouldn't call me by that name. Skag is not my real name, but the few friends I have call me Skag. I'd be pleased if you would call me that.”

”That's very nice of you, but do you much mind? I like Wonder Man better.”

”I don't believe I quite understand why.”

”Partly from things I've heard about you. But rather more on account of what I've seen just now. I fancy the natives are not far wrong and you are a wonder man to them. . . . If you do this sort of thing, delivering people who are in danger of their lives, and getting the devotion of creatures as hard to win as Nels, I can see that you are going to have a great reputation in this India. And you are not to be in the least disturbed if I call you Wonder Man; I am believing the t.i.tle is prophetic at least.”

”What I'm doing for you is only what any man would do. If you hear me outside to-night, don't be startled. I'll get the beast as soon as I can. If there's more than one, I'll stay around till they're cleaned out.”

Soon after dusk Skag circled out into the jungle. He carried one of the best hunting-pieces made and plenty of ammunition. Taking a position in sight of the tent on the jungle side, he waited. Within half an hour a little puppy began to bark. No man alive could ever know it was anything but a puppy. It yapped and whimpered a while and then it began to get frightened. He moved toward it, but it stopped.

For several minutes there was silence. Then another one began back of him. He slipped through the shadows with the utmost caution, but before he got near it, it also stopped. This occurred several times.

At last, away in another direction, a wild, grating laugh broke out.

He turned at once and moved carefully but swiftly to come in range between it and the tent.

This laugh-thing was torture. It couldn't stop. It was insane. He thought it would never be done. In a few minutes it was important to have it done. She had said it was to paralyse its prey. It was enough to paralyse anything. Then he jumped. Now _that_ was devilis.h.!.+ But he was coming closer to the sound and getting interested, when it stopped. So he followed it from place to place. Always, when he got near possible range, it stopped. Always it began in a few minutes in some other spot. There might be a dozen. . . .

And a woman, alone with two children and a dog, had endured this six nights out of seven, night after night all night, for five weeks. . . .

Near morning, toward the front, a sick baby began to cry. While he made his way around, his steps quickened to the very urge of its need.

He was quite near the tent when--a clear, high, agonised shriek. It was the girl! And he ran.

There was an instant when he did not realise anything. He just saw.

Fifty feet from the tent, the Great Dane dog, his head low, almost touching the ground, moving slowly, step by step--with a long, slender, white figure dragged bodily on his neck. Then he heard:

”Rodger! Keep back! Take care of Baby. Nels, _Nels_! Nels, you must _listen_ to me. . . . _Nels_!”

He caught hold of her and the dog at the same moment.

”Don't let him go. _Don't let go of Nels_!”

”All right, I won't. Now will you go back to the tent, please? I've got Nels. I'm going with him.”

”No, _the thing has happened_! I tell you, he doesn't even know me!

Why do you want him to go at all?”

”Because they keep out of my range, alone. He'll lead me to this one.