great cats were cowardly enough. It would hardly attack the two of us. Nearer and nearer it came, showing no signs of anger and none of fear, and paying no attention to the withered branch with which Diccon tried to scare it off. When it was so close that we could see the white of its breast it stopped, looking at us with large unfaltering eyes, and slightly moving its tail to and fro.

“A tame panther!” ejaculated Diccon. “It must be the one Nantauquas tamed, sir. He would have kept it somewhere near Master Rolfe’s house.”

“And it heard us, and followed us through the gate,” I said. “It was the third the warder talked of.”

We walked on, and the beast, addressing itself to motion, followed at our