But then I did not know but what the wolf intended to return, and so I lost no time in untying the remainder of the rope that was around me.
At the end of five minutes’ hard work, I found myself free. The blood flowed from both of my hands, which were rapidly getting stiff.
The first thing I did was to hunt up a stout club with which to defend myself from future attacks should any come.
This done, I stopped at a spring and bathed my wounds in the cool water. One of my wrists I tied up in my handkerchief, and the other in some lining torn from the old coat I wore.
I had hardly finished this operation when I heard footsteps approaching from the direction of the shore. At first I had an impression that the wolf was returning, but soon recognized the sounds as those proceeding from a human being.
Instinctively I hurried out of sight, dragging the rope behind me. I had hardly done so when I heard a yelp, a cry of alarm, and a pistol-shot in quick succession.
“There! I reckon you’re done for!” I heard a voice exclaim. “That makes one wolf less on this island. By thunder! I wonder if any of the critters have attacked that boy?”
I thought the voice was that of Avery, and I was not mistaken. I saw the flash of a lantern a moment later, and the man stepped into the clearing.
“Reuben Stone!” he called.