Too late. He laughs wildly, and plunges in. Then there is a strange sense of fulness in his head. Sparks crackle across his eyes.
“Falling, falling, falling,
Foam flakes are—”
He remembers no more.
But the brave dog has pulled him to the brink, and sits by his side, lifting his chin up towards the sky, and howling most pitifully.
Ah! if we only knew how much our faithful dogs love us, and how much they know in times of trouble and anguish, we would be kinder to them even than we are, even now, while sorrow smees far away from us.
Presently it appeared to strike even Kooran that giving vent to his grief would result in nothing very practical, so he suddenly ceased to whine. He bent down and licked his master’s cold inanimate face.
He howled once again after this, as if his very heart were breaking.
Then he looked all round him.
No help, I suppose, he thought, could come from these cold woods, and no danger.
So he emitted one little impatient bark, as if his mind were quite made up as to what he should do, turned tail, and trotted off.