wn back like a snarling wolf, disclosing his yellow teeth and
gleaming eyeballs, he looked like a fiend incarnate. I shudder now
when I recall that moonlit scene.

"His hand dropped like lightning on the butt of his revolver, but in
the moment I had sprung back a pace and covered him with my gun, which
I was luckily carrying cocked.

"'Thy hand from the revolver,' I cried, 'or thou art a dead man.'
Slowly his hand sank to his side. 'Pick up those things at once and
carry them before me, or as sure as there is a God in heaven I will
shoot thee like the dog thou art.'

"As if every movement was of the greatest exertion he picked up the
traps, saying as he did so, 'Thou shalt remember these insults.'

[Illustration: MARKO IVANKOVIC]

[Illustration: THE BRIDGE AT RIJEKA]

"'Be still!' I cried, covering him with my gun, 'and now precede me.'

"And in this fashion we returned to my house. He threw the load into a
corner of the room, and at the door he returned and repeated his
warning, vanishing in the darkness.

"From this time onwards I shot alone. Try as I would I could get no
one to come with me, and this I put down to the worthy Marko's
influence. Thrice I saw him while out shooting, but only once within
speaking distance. I then called to him 'Marko, I know thou wilt try
and kill me; but listen, I am married and have a wife and child at
home. For their sakes I ask thee to shoot at me from the front, and
thus give me a chance to defend myself.'

"He smiled strangely again, saying, 'Thou wilt remember thy insults,'
and disappeared.

"I always took cover when I saw him, but nothing happened, and the eve
of my departure arrived. The steamer left in the early morning, and
just as dawn was breaking and I was still in bed Marko entered the
room. He approached my bed, and laid upon the table by my head the sum
of money I had advanced him to repay his debt. Then he spoke:--

"'I saidst that thou wouldst remember the insults thou hast put upon
me. Here is thy money, and now listen to my story. Thou hadst scarce
set foot in Dulcigno when thy death was planned by an enemy, and I
was hired to do the deed. That was why I would take no wages, for I
was already well paid; besides, it was thought that thou wouldst then
certainly engage my services. I was to accidentally shoot thee while
hunting. What more easy than to stumble and for my gun to explode? But
when I knew thee, then I could not kill thee thus. I tried to provok