The wood beside the stream grew so thick, interlaced with tendrils of
tropical plants, that we were forced to turn aside and make for the
coast in hope to find a crossing.
"We descended into the sound of the beating surf before we found one:
and there an impish fancy took me. I had been losing grip on
Farrell, and despite my small triumph of that morning, I felt a
sudden desire to test him. Pretending that my purpose was only to
cross and report, I waded the stream and dodged upward through the
undergrowth; recrossed it, about a hundred yards above, crawled
another yard and again recrossed, all to baffle the hound's scent,
since from Farrell I could have hidden by this time securely enough.
In a very few minutes I heard his voice hallooing to me, and then the
dog's yelp began to chime in with it. By and by the beast, well
baffled, was baying hard through the undergrowth between me and the
surf.
"After a while of this play I crept out and strolled easily back to
my first ford, my hands in my pockets.
"'What the devil's up with your beast?' I asked, wading across to the
bank on which Farrell stood.
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