wound on uncle's head, and that's how it came that Pierre could hold him
down with one hand. Didn't I know all the time that there was something
up? Now, if Pierre had succeeded in getting the safe key, no doubt he
would have renewed his attempts to make me tell where I had put the key
of the office. Would I have been coward enough to do it? No, sir! I
would have--Hallo!"

This exclamation was called forth by the sudden appearance of the dog,
which crept slowly toward his master, looking altogether as if he had
been guilty of something very mean.

"So you have got back, have you?" said Frank, sternly. "What do you mean
by going off to hunt rabbits when you ought to stay at home? And what
excuse have you to offer for allowing that robber to get up after you
had pulled him down?"

Marmion stopped, and, laying his head close to the pavement, wagged his
tail and whined piteously.

"I don't wonder that you feel ashamed of yourself," said his master.
"Come here, you old coward."

The dog reluctantly obeyed, and, when he came nearer, another mystery
was cleared up, and Frank knew why his favorite had behaved so
strangely. One end of a rope was twisted about his jaws so tightly that
he could scarcely move them, and the other, after being wound around his
head and neck to keep the muzzle from slipping off, was fastened to
both his fore feet, holding them so close together that it was a wonder
that he could walk at all. Frank's anger vanished in an instant. He ran
into his room after his knife, to release the dog from his bonds, and
then he discovered that the animal had not come out of the fight
unharmed. Two gaping wounds in his side bore evidence to the skill with
which Pierre had handled his bowie.

At that moment, Frank felt a good deal as Llewellyn must have felt when
he killed the hound which he imagined had devoured his child, but which
had, in reality, defended him from the attacks of a wolf. He had scolded
Marmion for his failure to hold the robber after he had thrown him down,
and had been more than half inclined to give him a good beating; while
the animal had, all the while, been doing his best, and, in spite of his
wounds and bonds, had kept up the fight until Pierre mounted his horse
and fled from the ranch.

The boy's first care, after he had removed the rope, was to bandage the
wounds as well as he could, and to lead the dog to a comfortable bed on
the porch, where he left him to await the arrival of th