aid nothing, but shook his head solemnly, and looked
unutterable things. Mean while he continued to retreat, watching
the small door of the old house, and the rest followed him, as they
thought he knew better what ought to be done than they did. The
guide took up that line of retreat which led towards Albano, and
as he did so he watched the door of the house with evident anxiety,
as though fearful of seeing at any moment the formidable beast
bound forth to rush upon them. But at length, after he had placed
a considerable distance between himself and the old house, he began
to breathe more freely, and to think about what ought next to be
done.

"Do you think it really is a wild boar?" asked Frank once more of
the guide.

"Dey did say dat, dey did see him," said he.

"Yes; but how do they know? They never saw a wild boar," objected
Frank.

"Any man dat sees a wild boar will know him," said the guide.

"I didn't know that there--were any about here."

"About here?"

"Yes; so near the town, and public roads. I thought that an animal
like the wild boar prefers the moat solitary places, and will never
come near where men are living."

"Dat is right," said the guide. "Dat is so. Bot sommataime dey go
wild--dey lose der young--or sommatin like dat, so dey go wild,
and wander, an if dey happen to come near a villa, dey are terrible."

"But how could this one have come here?"

"Italia is full of dem--dey wander about like dis."

"But they live so far off."

"O, no; dis one come from de mountain--not far--dat old house in
de valley, just de place for his den."

After this Frank could doubt no longer, although he had been so
obstinate in his disbelief. The affair of the previous night had
produced a powerful effect on his mind; and he was exceedingly
unwilling to allow himself again to be beguiled into a belief in
any danger that was not real. Had the guide not believed this so
firmly, and insisted on it so strongly, he would have felt certain
that the animal in the house was some commonplace one--a goat--a
dog--anything, rather than a wild boar. However, as it was, he had
nothing left but to believe what was said.

As for Uncle Moses, he was now quite himself again. The boys were
safe, at any rate. True, they were confined in the loft of an old
house, with a ferocious wild beast barring the way to liberty; but
then he reflected that this ferocious wild beast could not get near
them. Had it been a bear, the affa