with aching heads bowed under their burdens, and tired limbs, they had returned to within, perhaps, a hundred yards of the beach, when the barking of dogs, mingled with a girlish scream, caused them all to look up in astonishment. then, without waiting for any one to give the word, each dropped what he was carrying, and began to run as fast as he was able over the broken ice towards the shore.
when the lads had started on the second trip out to the boat, rex, bidden to watch his mistress, and proud of the duty, had lain down almost on the edge of her blankets. there was no snow upon the sand here, and the warmth of the fire closed the eyes of the fagged-out dog, just as it had those of his mistress. the boys had been gone, perhaps, half an hour, and he had had time to get very soundly asleep, when, suddenly, he was roused by a growl and a rush, and before he could rise to his feet two animals were right upon him, each nearly as big as himself, though short-haired and wofully gaunt. with a yelp of surprise and rage the dog sprang up and tried to defend himself, but the attack of his assailants was so fierce that he was rolled over in an instant, and felt their teeth pressing at his throat.
into katy's dreams of a may-day picnic under the blossoming apple-trees broke this rude hubbub, and before she could understand its meaning she felt the weight of the struggling animals pressing upon her bed. with the piercing scream of fright that had reached the ears of her brothers out on the ice, she struggled out of her blankets, only to be tripped and fall right upon the tumbling, growling, fighting heap. afterwards she used to tell the story with merry laughter, but then, scarcely knowing what it all meant, she was too frightened to do anything but scream again, and pick herself up as best she could.
safely on her feet at last, and convinced that this startling adventure was a reality and not some frightful change in her dream, she saw that rex was being overpowered by two great dogs, lean almost as skeletons, that seemed bent upon killing him without an instant's delay. to see her faithful friend surprised and overcome in this terrible way stirred up all her sympathies and all her wrath. like a flash she remembered how african travellers had fought lions with firebrands, and, seizing one of the charred sticks from the fire, she began to strike the brute nearest to her.
but what followed was most alarming, for the animal, at the very first blow, left rex and turned towards her, his jaws wide open, and his haggard eyes glowing with rage. instinctively she presented the smoking end of her long brand, as a soldier would his bayonet, and was fortunate enough to meet the dog squarely in the face, which staggered him for an instant, and before he could gather himself for a new attack aleck and tug and jim were all beside her, and the two great brutes were in full flight.
then the brave girl dropped her firebrand, and sank down on the nearest seat, where, perhaps, she might have been excused for fainting had the day been warm, instead of freezing cold. the boys gathered anxiously about her, with such questions as, "where did they come from?" "why did they attack you?" "are you hurt?" and so on.
the story was soon told, and this was fortunate, for everybody had forgotten poor rex, who lay panting, and licking one of his feet, from which the blood was oozing.
"well, old fellow," exclaimed tug, as he went and bent over the dog, "did they try to chew you up? here, give us your paw. quiet! let me feel—so—good dog! no bones broken, i guess, and we'll bandage you up o. k. how about this ear? one hole through it, and—well, 'twas lucky you had a strong collar? just look at the tooth-marks on that piece of leather! if it hadn't been for that an' his thick hair, they'd been in his throat, and then good-bye, rex!"
