STUBBS THE BADGER 217 
the dog lay limp and still, and Stubbs himself was in 
little better plight. 
James Kinchella, completely sobered, picked up 
the body of his dog and walked in silence to the gate. 
The men made way for him to pass, and there were 
no more jeers nor laughter. ' Ye should put a 
bullet into that felly's head, Borrigan/ growled the 
owner of the other dead dog. 
But Borrigan knew that the publican at Rath- 
more would pay well for the loan of the badger, and, 
without heeding the openly expressed anger of the 
men, he drove Stubbs back to the barn, and locked 
the door. 
Some hours later the last drunken shouts had 
died away, and the yard was quiet once more. 
Stubbs had been hiding in a corner under a wisp 
of straw, but now that the daylight the hateful 
daylight and the noise were gone, he ventured to 
creep out. He was very tired, and his wounds 
were stiff and sore ; nevertheless he was determined 
to escape. He shuffled round the place, testing 
every brick in the walls. Presently one pale moon- 
beam filtered through the keyhole. The moon was 
rising just as he had seen her rise night after night, 
behind the larches in front of the badger earth, 
miles away in Knockdane. There was only one 
