As he stood over it he could hear plainly the _thud, thud, thud_, of the thing outside--the haunch of meat--as though some one were tapping fragments of the Morse code in a careless and broken sort of way.

Then, without any particular motive, he stepped into the dark corner at the end of the bunk.

An agonized squeak came from under his foot, and he felt something small and soft flatten out, like a wad of dough.

He jumped back.

An exclamation broke from his lips.