Suddenly William stopped. "Did you see that?" he said.
"What was it?" said George, the tone of his brother's voice making his heart jump quickly.
"A fox, I think," said William, bringing the huge pistol down into the position of charge bayonet, and cocking the ponderous hammer.
"Where! Where!" whispered George, coming to his brother's side.
"It ran behind that big stone yonder," was the excited answer.
"Let's move up closer. It's your turn to shoot," said the holder of the aged weapon, turning half around.
"You shoot for me," was the whispered reply.
Moving on again they stepped quickly around the trunk of a great spreading pine-tree, for the woodman's axe had as yet spared this particular part of the forest.
The heavy branches shadowed the ground, and the hulk of great stone, close to an overhanging bank, made the light seem even more indistinct, but as they stepped deeper into the shadow, and their eyes became accustomed to the half light, they started suddenly.
There, a few feet from them, stretched on the ground, was a creature such as they had never seen before. It was as large as a big dog, with a gaunt body, small narrow head, and gleaming yellow eyes. It was crouching close to the ground, its haunches raised somewhat, its tail moving slightly and rustling the leaves of the bushes behind it.