Then he turned
towards that vast audience of the trees, stretched out his hand with a
declamatory gesture, said something in a composed voice, and fell upon
his face stone dead! The swift poison had reached his heart and done its
work.
His three companions looked at him for a moment and the next with a yell
of terror, rushed off into the forest, hurling down their loads as they
ran. What became of them Alan never learned, for he saw them no more,
and the dwarf people keep their secrets. At the time indeed he scarcely
noticed their departure, for he was otherwise engaged.
One of their hideous little assailants, made bold by success, ventured
to run across an open space between two trees, showing himself for
a moment. Alan had a gun in his hand, and mad with rage at what had
happened, he raised it and swung on him as he would upon a rabbit. He
was a quick and practised shot and his skill did not fail him now, for
just as the dwarf was vanishing behind a tree, the bullet caught him and
next instant he was seen rolling over and over upon its further side.
"That very nice," said Jeekie reflectively, "very nice indeed, but I
think we best move out of this.
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