SETTLING AN ACCOUNT. 313 



" I warmly approve of your gratitude," I replied to 

 Mr. Jeffrey ; " so faithful a servant is worthy of a faithful 

 master. But, let me ask you, what became of your Grisly 1 

 I hope you never heard again of your abominable and 

 patient old persecutor." 



" There you are mistaken," answered the merchant. 

 "I had a heavy account to settle with the brigand should 

 I not say the would-be-murderer 1 for all the torture he 

 had made me suffer. As, moreover, he was a Grisly 

 anthropophagist, it was not prudent to allow him to 

 prowl at large, if by any means we could check his career. 



" I felt certain that he would not wander far from the 

 little lake, at least, so long as my horses remained in 

 its vicinity. I knew, also, that two of my fellow-traders 

 were following at a day or two's distance ; therefore, 

 while plotting the Grisly's destruction, I thought it ad- 

 visable to wait until they had rejoined me. We might 

 then undertake an united expedition with all our people 

 and all our dogs. 



" In due time they arrived in the camp, and when my 

 proposal was submitted to them they eagerly embraced 

 it. 



" For a couple of days we harassed the old cannibal 

 without succeeding in driving him out of his cavern, 

 which was situated in a sequestered glen, and carefully 

 concealed by rocks and bushes. 



" At length one of our hunters, who had contrived to 

 get up close to his retreat, shot the old rascal dead as he 

 incautiously showed himself among the underwood. It 

 was a splendid, a masterly shot ; the ball penetrated 

 under the right shoulder, and came out on the left side. 



