IIELlfAN'S DATCH. 105 



limbs and dark places, with every here and there a 

 brilliant patchwork of moonshine ; and though I 

 went outside and carefully beat all round our camp 

 I could not catch sight of the barse. 



To-night, having had a lazy day in camp, I 

 was by no means in a hurry to roll myself up in the 

 least draughty corner, so taking my rifle, having 

 constructed a night sight for it, I betook myself to 

 the beach to await our last night's visitor should he 

 repeat his visit. 



The hills near Heiman's Datch come do\vn almost 

 to the high-water line, so that sitting hidden under 

 some drift-wood I had the forest close at my back, 

 and a little above me ; so close indeed as to suggest 

 the possibility of a sudden spring from the bushes 

 to my hiding place if any beast had the courage to 

 try it. Before me lay some forty yards at most of 

 strand, and beyond a perfectly calm and silent sea. 

 Far up in one of the valleys at my back two 

 wolves were answering each other, and away to- 

 wards Duapse I could hear some jackals fighting 

 over some carrion they had found. 



But for a long time nothing happened, except 

 every now and then a rustle in the forest at my 

 back, that made me start and bring my gun to bear 

 on its dark fastnesses. I had almost made up my 

 mind to give up my watch and return to the ruin, 

 when a figure like the grey ghost of some large 

 hound was just visible against the sky line. It was 



