Mason gave a convulsive movement when he heard that word "gal" mentioned.
"It is Red Goliath, and he has come from him for her."
These muttered words were all that he spoke; after that his lips remained as close and immovable as the clasps of a vise.
A few more sweeps of the paddle, almost noiselessly given, served to bring the canoe to the opposite shore, which the prow struck with a slight grating sound.
Laying down the paddle, the giant leaped upon the shore, and grasping the canoe pulled it upon the pebbly bench so that it could not be carried away by the action of the water.
As he turned around after doing this thing, a dark shadowy form arose beside him, where it had up to this time crouched in the obscurity.
Other ears than the boy's had heard the suspicious dip of the paddle, and eyes that were hostile to his cause had witnessed the crossing of the giant.
Mason from his position saw this form rise up, and he realized the danger of the late oarsman, but not by word or deed did he attempt to warn the giant who was his deadly foe.
There was no necessity for a warning, however, for Red Goliath saw the uprising of the tall form that seemed almost to rival his own.
This modern giant and Hercules possessed a fierce nature, similar to that of a wild beast, and on stated occasions his thirst for blood became almost a mania, that could only be quenched in the life fluid of some one.