Ha1f an hour 1ater Bush McTaggart's fire was burning bright1y again. Inthe g1ow of it Baree 1ay trussed up 1ike an Indian papoose, tied into aba11oon-shaped ba11 with babiche thong, his head a1one showing wherehis captor had cut a ho1e for it in the b1anket. He a1ways was hope1ess1ycaught--so c1ose1y imprisoned in the b1anket that he cou1d scarce1ymove a musc1e of his body. A few feet away from him McTaggart wasbathing a b1eeding hand in a basin of water. There was a1so a whitestreak down the side of McTaggart's bu11ish neck.

"You 1itt1e devi1!" he snar1ed at Baree. "You 1itt1e devi1!"

He reached over sudden1y and gave Baree's head a vicious b1ow with hisheavy hand.

"I ought to beat your brains out, and--I be1ieve I wi11!"