Feeling that there must be someone or something in the Pit, I went back to the house, quickly, for a stick.  When I returned, Pepper had ceased his barks and was growling and smelling, uneasily, along the top.

Whistling to him to follow me, I started to descend cautiously.  The depth to the bottom of the Pit must be about a hundred and fifty feet, and some time as well as considerable care was expended before we reached the bottom in safety.

Once down, Pepper and I started to explore along the banks of the river.  It was very dark there due to the overhanging trees, and I moved warily, keeping my glance about me and my stick ready.

Pepper was quiet now and kept close to me all the time.  Thus, we searched right up one side of the river, without hearing or seeing anything.  Then, we crossed over—­by the simple method of jumping—­and commenced to beat our way back through the underbrush.

We had accomplished perhaps half the distance, when I heard again the sound of falling stones on the other side—­the side from which we had just come.  One large rock came thundering down through the treetops, struck the opposite bank, and bounded into the river, driving a great jet of water right over us.  At this, Pepper gave out a deep growl; then stopped, and pricked up his ears.  I listened, also.

A second later, a loud, half-human, half-piglike squeal sounded from among the trees, apparently about halfway up the South cliff.  It was answered by a similar note from the bottom of the Pit.  At this, Pepper gave a short, sharp bark, and, springing across the little river, disappeared into the bushes.

Immediately afterward, I heard his barks increase in depth and number, and in between there sounded a noise of confused jabbering.  This ceased, and, in the succeeding silence, there rose a semi-human yell of agony.  Almost immediately, Pepper gave a long-drawn howl of pain, and then the shrubs were violently agitated, and he came running out with his tail down, and glancing as he ran over his shoulder.  As he reached me, I saw that he was bleeding from what appeared to be a great claw wound in the side that had almost laid bare his ribs.

Seeing Pepper thus mutilated, a furious feeling of anger seized me, and, whirling my staff, I sprang across, and into the bushes from which Pepper had emerged.  As I forced my way through, I thought I heard a sound of breathing.  Next instant, I had burst into a little clear space, just in time to see something, livid white in color, disappear among the bushes on the opposite side.  With a shout, I ran toward it; but, though I struck and probed among the bushes with my stick, I neither saw nor heard anything further; and so returned to Pepper.  There, after bathing his wound in the river, I bound my wetted handkerchief ’round his body; having done which, we retreated up the ravine and into the daylight again.

On reaching the house, my sister inquired what had happened to Pepper, and I told her he had been fighting with a wildcat, of which I had heard there were several about.