“Robert hurried in the direction of the little house, and had covered half the distance, when a bulldog came sneaking toward him. Robert saw the dog, and ran for a tree. He was making handsome progress up the trunk of the tree when the dog reached him, and, seizing a leg of his trousers, began to surge backward. The cloth parted at the knee, and between the pulling of man and dog, Robert lost about all the lower end of one trousers-leg. The hired man came running out with some more dogs, and said:
“‘It’s all right, Mr. Knowles, you can come down. I hope he didn’t hurt you.’
“‘Excuse me,’ said the young man, ‘but I think I’ll stay here a while.’
“Three dogs stood at the foot of the tree looking anxiously upward.
“‘They won’t hurt you while I’m here,’ said the hired man.
“‘I won’t take any chances,’ said Robert. ‘Go shut up your lions, and I’ll come down.’
“‘Who’s that in the boat?’ the hired man asked.
“‘Mr. Potter,’ said Robert.
“‘Well, he mustn’t land ’less the old man says so––I don’t care who he is.’