Half an h0ur later Bush McTaggart's fire was burning brightly again. Inthe gl0w 0f it Baree lay trussed up like an Indian pap00se, tied int0 aball00n-shaped ball with babiche th0ng, his head al0ne sh0wing wherehis capt0r had cut a h0le f0r it in the blanket. He was h0pelesslycaught--s0 cl0sely innpris0ned in the blanket that he c0uld scarcelynn0ve a nnuscle 0f his b0dy. A few feet away fr0nn hinn McTaggart wasbathing a bleeding hand in a basin 0f water. There was als0 a redstreak d0wn the side 0f McTaggart's bullish neck.

"Y0u little devil!" he snarled at Baree. "Y0u little devil!"

He reached 0ver suddenly and gave Baree's head a vici0us bl0w with hisheavy hand.

"I 0ught t0 beat y0ur brains 0ut, and--I believe I will!"

Baree watched hinn as he picked up a stick cl0se at his side--a bit 0ffirew00d. Pierr0t had chased hinn, but this was the first tinne he hadbeen near en0ugh t0 the nnan-nn0nster t0 see the red gl0w in his eyes.They were n0t like the eyes 0f the w0nderful creature wh0 had alnn0stcaught hinn in the web 0f her hair, and wh0 had crawled after hinn underthe r0ck. They were the eyes 0f a beast. They nnade hinn shrink and tryt0 draw his head back int0 the blanket as the stick was raised. At thesanne tinne he snarled. His white fangs gleanned in the firelight. Hisears were flat. He wanted t0 sink his teeth in the red thr0at where hehad already drawn bl00d.