frown.

Meanwhile Bickley had poured out some of the hot coffee laced with
brandy into the cup that was screwed on the top of the thermos flask.
Advancing to the man whom I supported, he put it to his lips. He tasted
and made a wry face, but presently he began to sip, and ultimately
swallowed it all. The effect of the stimulant was wonderful, for in
a few minutes he came to life completely and was even able to sit up
without support.

For quite a long while he gazed at us gravely, talking us in and
everything connected with us. For instance, Bickley's medicine-case
which lay open showing the little vulcanite tubes, a few instruments and
other outfit, engaged his particular attention, and I saw at once that
he understood what it was. Thus his arm still smarted where the needle
had been driven in and on the blanket lay the syringe. He looked at
his arm, then looked at the syringe, and nodded. The paraffin hurricane
lamps also seemed to interest and win his approval. We two men, as
I thought, attracted him least of all; he just summed us up and our
garments, more especially the garments, with a few shrewd glances, and
then seemed to turn his thoughts to Tommy, who had seated himself quite
contentedly at his side, evidently accepting him as a new addition to
our party.

I confess that this behaviour on Tommy's part reassured me not a little.
I am a great believer in the instincts of animals, especially of dogs,
and I felt certain that if this man had not been in all essentials human
like ourselves, Tommy would not have tolerated him. In the same way the
sleeper's clear liking for Tommy, at whom he looked much oftener and
with greater kindness than he did at us, suggested that there was
goodness in him somewhere, since although a dog in its wonderful
tolerance may love a bad person in whom it smells out hidden virtue, no
really bad person ever loved a dog, or, I may add, a child or a flower.

As a matter of fact, the "old god," as we had christened him while he
was in his coffin, during all our association with him, cared infinitely
more for Tommy than he did for any of us, a circumstance that ultimately
was not without its influence upon our fortunes. But for this there was
a reason as we learned afterwards, also he was not really so amiable as
I hoped.

When we had looked at each other for a long while the sleeper began
to arrange his beard, of which the length seemed to surprise him,
especially as Tommy was seated