I could not see Whiskerandos, for the trough was between us: I fancied his look of fierce despair as he faced the foes from whom he could not flee, and from whom he could expect no pity. He had evidently got into some corner, from which the dogs could not easily dislodge him; for they stood yelping and barking, showing their white teeth, with their greedy eyes all turned to one point. So the human savage came to their aid. Having taken up a stick which happened to be lying on the ground near, while the dogs retired a step to allow their master to give his ungenerous assistance, he pushed the stick behind the trough, and by its means dragged poor Whiskerandos from his last place of refuge! "Ha! the fellow's dead! I must have killed him with the stick!" cried the young man; and stooping down he lifted up the poor rat by the tail, and held him aloft to examine him more closely, while the dogs leapt and barked around, eager to tear their victim limb from limb! "He's been in the wars-- lost his ears!" laughed the young man, still holding the stiffened body on high by the tail. "I'm sorry I poked him with the stick; he'd have given us some sport with the dogs!" Did ever such a heartless monster walk on two feet before! "Oh! Whiskerandos! Whiskerandos!" thought I, as, almost rooted to the spot with horror, I stood gazing on the pitiful sight. "I am glad that you are dead! oh, I am glad that you are dead! bravest, noblest of rats, they can torture you no more!" The dogs showed by their impatient movements that they considered that their master took a great deal too much time in his survey of a lifeless rat I suspect that he only did so to tease and tantalize them, for suddenly raising Whiskerandos still higher, to give more force to his fling, he cried, "Now Carlo-- Rover-- Caesar-- who's first!" and swung the body away towards the door behind which I stood a trembling, shuddering spectator! But lo and behold! no sooner did the seemingly dead rat touch the ground, than he found life, strength, and speed in a moment! The dogs were after him like the wind, but the very force of the fling had given him a good start, and he was through the opening under the door, knocking me over as he pushed past, almost before I could recall my scattered senses sufficiently to understand that he was actually alive! I have some remembrance of the young man's exclamation of amazement as the dead rat found his feet and disappeared,-- his shout, and the yells of the disappointed dogs,-- but I recollect no more, for I heard no more. Whiskerandos and I had a fair start, and we made the best of it, and scampered off as rats scamper for their lives. Well for us that that door was locked!-- well for us that there were broken bits of bottles on the top! well for us that the hole was too small for the passage of any thing larger than a rat!