to turn again. No flight for him, nor thought 

 of it. 



Up and down the slope the dark mass tossed, 

 like some hulk the sport of waves. Black and 

 white, sable and grey, worrying at that great 

 centrepiece ; up and down, roaming wide, leaving 

 everywhere a trail of red. 



Gyp he had pinned and hurled across his 

 shoulder. Grip followed : he shook her till she 

 rattled, then flung her afar ; and she fell with a 

 horrible thud, not to rise ; while Grapple, the 

 death to avenge, hung tighter. In a scarlet 

 soaking patch of the ground lay Kirby's lurcher, 

 doubled up in a dreadful ball. And Hoppin's 

 young dog, who three hours before had been 

 playing tenderly with the children, now fiendish 

 to look on, dragged after the huddle up the hill. 

 Back the mob rolled on her. When it was 

 passed, she lay quite still, grinning, a handful of 

 tawny hair and flesh in her dead mouth. 



So they fought on. And ever and anon a great 

 figure rose up from the inferno all around, rearing 

 to his full height, his head all ragged and bleeding, 

 the red foam dripping from his jaws. Thus he 

 would appear momentarily, like some dark rock 

 amidst a raging sea ; and down he would go again. 



Silent now they fought, dumb and determined. 

 Only you might have heard the rend and rip of 

 tearing flesh ; a hoarse gurgle as some dog went 



215 



