He caught hold of her and the dog at the same moment.
"Don't let him go. Don't let go of Nels!"
"All right, I won't. Now will you go back to the tent, please? I've got Nels. I'm going with him."
"No, the thing has happened! I tell you, he doesn't even know me!
Why do you want him to go at all?"
"Because they keep out of my range, alone. He'll lead me to this one.
I'll take care of him. Now go; will you please go back?"
"I don't—"
A frantic scream from a boy's throat and in the same instant the lifting cry of a younger child. Clear in the door-space of the tent, behind them, two little figures clung together in the opening—and just at one side, close to the children, a dark, ungainly shape! Skag sprang three jumps toward the opposite side, dropped on one knee and fired. The shape bounced up, crumpled over and lay still.
They both ran to the children. Skag had just made sure the beast was dead, when he heard:
"Nels, Nels!—He is gone!"
"If you'll shut the door safely, I'll take care of Nels."