The Boy and the Lynx 
certain that this was a nightmare of India with 
a Tiger by his couch; but the lapping con- 
tinued. He looked up; yes, it still was there. 
He tried to find his voice but uttered only a 
gurgle. The great furry head quivered, a sniff 
came from below the shining eyeballs, and the 
creature, whatever it was, dropped to its front 
feet and went across the hut under the table. 
Thor was fully awake now; he rose slowly on 
his elbow and feebly shouted ‘“ Sssh-hi,’’ at 
which the shining eyes reappeared under the 
table and the gray form came forth. Calmly 
it walked across the ground and glided under 
the lowest log at a place where an old potato- 
pit left an opening and disappeared. 
What was it? The sick boy hardly knew— 
some savage Beast of prey, undoubtedly. He 
was totally unnerved. He shook with fear and 
a sense of helplessness, and the night passed in 
fitful sleep and sudden starts awake to search 
the gloom again for those fearful eyes and the 
great gray gliding form. In the morning he 
did not know whether it were not all a delirium, 
yet he made a feeble effort to close the old 
cellar hole with some firewood. 
196 
