Hitherto, I had stood, watching the dog; yet, all the time, with half my gaze on the wild tangle of gardens, stretching ’round me.  Now, I went toward him, and, bending down, examined the surface of the door, where he was smelling.  I found that the wood was covered with a network of scratches, crossing and recrossing one another, in inextricable confusion.  In addition to this, I noticed that the doorposts, themselves, were gnawed in places.  Beyond these, I could find nothing; and so, standing up, I began to make the tour of the house wall.

Pepper, as soon as I walked away, left the door, and ran ahead, still nosing and sniffing as he went along.  At times, he stopped to investigate.  Here, it would be a bullet-hole in the pathway, or, perhaps, a powder stained wad.  Anon, it might be a piece of torn sod, or a disturbed patch of weedy path; but, save for such trifles, he found nothing.  I observed him, critically, as he went along, and could discover nothing of uneasiness, in his demeanor, to indicate that he felt the nearness of any of the creatures, By this, I was assured that the gardens were empty, at least for the present, of those hateful Things.  Pepper could not be easily deceived, and it was a relief to feel that he would know, and give me timely warning, if there were any danger.

Reaching the place where I had shot that first creature, I stopped, and made a careful scrutiny; but could see nothing.  From there, I went on to where the great copingstone had fallen.  It lay on its side, apparently just as it had been left when I shot the brute that was moving it.  A couple of feet to the right of the nearer end, was a great dent in the ground; showing where it had struck.  The other end was still within the indentation—­half in, and half out.  Going nearer, I looked at the stone, more closely.  What a huge piece of masonry it was!  And that creature had moved it, single-handed, in its attempt to reach what lay below.

I went ’round to the further end of the stone.  Here, I found that it was possible to see under it, for a distance of nearly a couple of feet.  Still, I could see nothing of the stricken creatures, and I felt much surprised.  I had, as I have before said, guessed that the remains had been removed; yet, I could not conceive that it had been done so thoroughly as not to leave some certain sign, beneath the stone, indicative of their fate.  I had seen several of the brutes struck down beneath it, with such force that they must have been literally driven into the earth; and now, not a vestige of them was to be seen—­not even a bloodstain.

I felt more puzzled, than ever, as I turned the matter over in my mind; but could think of no plausible explanation; and so, finally, gave it up, as one of the many things that were unexplainable.