"By jinks, I see him!" I, too, discerned a shadowy, dark object at the top of the snow-crusted knoll.

Tom was twisting round to get aim across the rail--and the next instant both of us were nearly kicked out of the sleigh by the recoil of the greatly overloaded gun.

We both scrambled to our feet, for we heard an ugly snarl.

I think the animal leaped upward; I was sure I saw something big and black rise six feet in the air, as if it were coming straight for the sleigh! The instinct of self-preservation is a strong one.

The first thing I realized I was over the fence rails, on the side toward the Edwards barn, running for dear life on the snow crust--and Tom was close behind me! We never stopped, even to look back, till we were at the barn and round the farther corner of it.