What might have happened in the next minute or two one may speculate about, yet never definitely know, for in the instant of profound silence that followed Hank’s roaring voice, and as though in answer to it, something went past through the darkness of the sky overhead at terrific speed—­something of necessity very large, for it displaced much air, while down between the trees there fell a faint and windy cry of a human voice, calling in tones of indescribable anguish and appeal—­

“Oh, oh!  This fiery height!  Oh, oh!  My feet of fire!  My burning feet of fire!”

White to the very edge of his shirt, Hank looked stupidly about him like a child.  Dr. Cathcart uttered some kind of unintelligible cry, turning as he did so with an instinctive movement of blind terror towards the protection of the tent, then halting in the act as though frozen.  Simpson, alone of the three, retained his presence of mind a little.  His own horror was too deep to allow of any immediate reaction.  He had heard that cry before.

Turning to his stricken companions, he said almost calmly—­

“That’s exactly the cry I heard—­the very words he used!”

Then, lifting his face to the sky, he cried aloud, “Defago, Defago!  Come down here to us!  Come down—!”

And before there was time for anybody to take definite action one way or another, there came the sound of something dropping heavily between the trees, striking the branches on the way down, and landing with a dreadful thud upon the frozen earth below.  The crash and thunder of it was really terrific.

“That’s him, s’help me the good Gawd!” came from Hank in a whispering cry half choked, his hand going automatically toward the hunting knife in his belt.  “And he’s coming!  He’s coming!” he added, with an irrational laugh of horror, as the sounds of heavy footsteps crunching over the snow became distinctly audible, approaching through the blackness towards the circle of light.

And while the steps, with their stumbling motion, moved nearer and nearer upon them, the three men stood round that fire, motionless and dumb.  Dr. Cathcart had the appearance of a man suddenly withered; even his eyes did not move.  Hank, suffering shockingly, seemed on the verge again of violent action; yet did nothing.  He, too, was hewn of stone.  Like stricken children they seemed.  The picture was hideous.  And, meanwhile, their owner still invisible, the footsteps came closer, crunching the frozen snow.  It was endless—­too prolonged to be quite real—­this measured and pitiless approach.  It was accursed.

VIII

Then at length the darkness, having thus laboriously conceived, brought forth—­a figure.  It drew forward into the zone of uncertain light where fire and shadows mingled, not ten feet away; then halted, staring at them fixedly.  The same instant it started forward again with the spasmodic motion as of a thing moved by wires, and coming up closer to them, full into the glare of the fire, they perceived then that—­it was a man; and apparently that this man was—­Defago.