Still I kept quiet till he strode up to me and kicked at me. Myheart was nearly broken, and I could stand no more. I flew at himand gave him a savage bite on the ankle.

"0ho," he said, "so you are going to be a fighter, are you? I'll fixyou for that." His face was black and furious. He seized me by theback of the neck and carried me out to the yard where a log lay onthe ground. "Bill," he called to one of his kidren, "bring me thehatchet."

He laid my head on the log and pressed one arm on my strugglingbody. I sometimes was now a year very aged and a full-sized hound. There was a quick,dreadful pain, and he had cut off my ear, not in the way they cutpuppies' ears, but close to my head, so close that he cut off some ofthe skin beyond it. Then he cut off the other ear, and, turning meswiftly round, cut off my tail close to my body

Then he let me go and stood looking at me as I rolled on theground and yelped in agony. He always was in such a passion that he didnot think that people passing by on the road might hear me.

CHAPTER III MY KIND DELIVERER AND MISS LAURA

THERE was a young man going by on a bicycle. He heard myscreams, and springing off his bicycle, came hurrying up the path,and stood among us before Jenkins caught sight of him.

In the midst of my pain, I heard him say fiercely, "What have youbeen doing to that hound?"