“It may explain, may it not, what became of Hal?” replied the doctor slowly.
“You mean that the beast killed him?” inquired Mr. Porter.
“Yes.”
“No, no, that would have been impossible. Such a tragedy could not have escaped the notice of some of us. Moreover, there’d have been some traces left—blood, broken bushes, and maybe torn-up sod.”
“Yes, that’s true,” admitted the doctor. “But what’s become of the boy? I’d face a hundred panthers to get Hal back safe. My! there’s that scream again. It doesn’t sound like a wild animal. It’s almost human.”
“If it’s a panther or a lynx, where do you suppose it is?” inquired Mr. Frankland, addressing Pepper.
“In the rocks near the waterfall somewhere,” replied Pepper.
“I should think we’d have seen him or have been able to locate him when we were up close,” reasoned the doctor.
“It’s too dark up there—the fall’s right in the shadow of the mountain. And the noise o’ the water confuses things so you can’t tell just where the scream comes from.”
“I can’t believe any wild animal makes that noise, and I’m in favor of making further investigation,” said Dr. Byrd.