Viewed from the front, its appearance was appalling in the extreme. Its head was of vast size, its mouth in latitude resembled that of the alligator. As it advanced, the firelight shone full in its face, and curiously enough neither of the hunters could discern any thing that resembled eyes, although of course it was sentient. Very naturally the two trappers had determined to send their messengers into his eyes, satisfied that, if there was nothing superhuman in its make, it could not prove invulnerable to such an attack; but they were unexpectedly deprived of this great advantage, seeing which Black Tom whispered to his companion: “Aim under the throat, and maybe we’ll reach its heart.” No more than a dozen feet separated men and beast, when the former simultaneously drew their guns to their shoulders, took a quick but sure aim and fired. They might as well have buried their bullets in the solid oak beside them, for all the good that was accomplished. That peculiar bark of the brute may have been caused by the sound as well as by the bullet of the gun. It stood a moment, as if looking steadily at the men, and then resumed its advance. This was too much, and with a howl of terror the three men scattered and were up the nearest saplings in a twinkling. Here they felt a certain degree of safety, as it was hardly probable that such a constructed creature could “climb a tree.” “But if he chooses,” replied Teddy, from his perch in reply to this remark, “he kin pull up the tree by its ruts, and crack our heads togither.” Finding himself master of the situation, the mysterious brute took every thing very quietly. Teddy having fastened the meat to his back, had not removed it upon climbing the tree, so that there was nothing on the ground for it to devour; and the trappers were too veteran hunters to fail to carry their weapons with them. The camp-fire had just been heaped up with fuel, and was now roaring and crackling furiously. The brute seemed to contemplate it a few minutes in quiet wonderment, and then he sat down upon his haunches like a bear, and looked fixedly at the blaze. “Look at the spalpeen!” called out Teddy. “Did ye ever see sich impudence. He looks as if he owned the grove and us too.” “That’s jest ’bout what he does own,” replied Black Tom, with grim humor. “He reminds mesilf, whin I used to sit down in the pratie patch at home, in Tipperary, and think I owned the whole of it, and so I would, if it hadn’t been that anuther chap claimed it.” During these few minutes, all three of the men had been reloading their guns, as best they could in their circumscribed position. When ready it was arranged that they should discharge their pieces together, at the head of the monster.