Without a moment's aim, he fired a single shot at the spot. It was an act born of fear and Billie knew it, but for the life of him he could not have done otherwise, so nervous had he become.
The report was followed by a cry of pain and an instant later there came running directly toward him out of the tall grass a figure so weird that Billie stood as one paralysed.
The figure was that of a man not more than two feet high, with long arms and a head of diminutive size. While it stood upright at times, at others it came forward on all fours. To Billie it seemed a cross between a man and a monkey.
Gathering his wits in an instant, Billie would have fired again—in fact, raised his revolver to do so, when the strange creature fell to its knees and raised its hands in supplication.
"By George!" exclaimed the lad as he stood with lowered weapon. "What kind of a thing is this? I wonder if it can talk?"
Then as he took a step toward it: "I'm not going to hurt you. Come here."
The creature arose to its feet and came slowly toward him. As it did so Billie noticed that blood was running from a wound in its scalp.
"Poor thing," he said. "That must have been where the bullet hit him. It was a close shave."
"Can you talk?" he finally asked.
The strange creature turned its head to one side and eyed him closely, but no sound came from its lips.