I had left the ranch several hundred
yards behind me when J turned and
looked back. Even at that distance
I could plainly recognize Pedro. He
was walking around a little cabin
back of the kitchen and was apparent
ly peeping through the cracks.
“Looking at the man-eater,” I said
to myself. “It is a good thing the
beast is locked up.”
The bracing morning air and the
level prairie stretching out before me
for miles tempted me to take a long
walk. A long way off I could see a
hill—the only one in all that Hat
country. Why not climb it and see
what was on the other side? Perhaps
Sallie was over there.
So I walked on with swingingstrides
for a couple of miles.
Suddenly I came to a dead halt.
“That sounds like the man-eater’s
bark!” I exclaimed. Again I heard it
and stopped a moment.
For a moment my muscles were
paralyzed—l was absolutely unable
to move.
A thousand horrible thoughts rushed
into my mind. If this mad blood
hound was on my track iny case was
hopeless. I could not get back to the
ranch—there was not a tree in s’ght,
and the hill was still miles axay!
What was to be done?
I summoned all my strength tMvl
made a run at the top of my speed.
I kept on as long as I could and then
paused to rest and listen. The man
eater was coming my way, but not
much faster than 1 could run.
