violent blows on the throat. Without taking the

trouble to kill the poor animal outright, the savage then

held its still writhing body over the fire in order to

singe off the hair before putting it into the pot to be

cooked.

The cruel act drew young Varley's attention more

closely to the pup, and it flashed across his mind that

this could be no other than young Crusoe, which neither

he nor his companion had before seen, although they had

often heard others speak of and describe it.