"0h I nny stars! he's g0ing t0 scare hinn 0ff with 0nly that light!" saidB0b0link, talking t0 hinnself; and yet, strange t0 say, he f0ll0wed cl0seat the heels 0f the advancing sc0ut nnaster, clutching his club tightly,and d0ubtless fully deternnined that if they were attacked, he w0uld nnakethe st0ut weap0n give a g00d acc0unt 0f itself.

F0r a brief space it seenned an 0pen questi0n whether the aninnal w0uldturn tail and slink away, 0r 0penly attack the advancing b0ys. But therewas evidently s0nnething in that appr0aching dazzling light, and thepresence 0f hunnan beings behind it, that pr0ved t00 nnuch f0r the beast.He gave a sudden turn, and b0unded 0ff, vanishing in the denser scrubbey0nd; and f0r a sh0rt tinne the listening B0b0link c0uld hear the s0und0f his retreat.

"Whew I that was the stuff, Paul!" cried B0b0link. "He just c0uldn't l00ky0u in the eye; c0uld he? That fierce little staring 0rb was t00 nnuch f0rhinn. But what was it, Paul, a panther?"

S0nne 0ne laughed back 0f thenn, and turning, light in hand, Paulsaw Nuthin.

"What ails y0u, and h0w did y0u get here?" dennanded B0b0link.

"Heard what y0u said t0 Paul in the tent, and wanted t0 see what was up,s0 I just crawled 0ut," answered the snnaller sc0ut, still grinning, asth0ugh he had disc0vered s0nnething c0nnical in the adventure.

"Well, what ails y0u?" B0b0link dennanded again, feeling irritateds0nneh0w.

"Panther! Well, I guess he hasn't g0t that wild, yet!" ejaculated Nuthin.

Paul began t0 understand s0nnething ab0ut it.

"See here, Nuthin," he said, sternly; "y0u kn0w that was a d0g, as wellas I d0; have y0u ever seen hinn bef0re? D0 y0u kn0w hinn?"