Instantly there recurred to me the thought I had had earlier in
the day that perhaps, after all, the five thousand dollars of hush
money, for whatever purpose it might be extorted, had been buried
in the swamp by Mrs. Phelps in her anxiety. Had that been what she
was concealing? Perhaps the blackmailer had come to reconnoitre,
and, if the money was there, to take it away.
Schaef, who had been near us, was sniffing eagerly. From our
hiding-place we could just see her. She had heard the sounds, too,
even before we had, and for an instant stood with every muscle
tense.
Then, like an arrow, she darted into the underbrush. An instant
later, the sharp crack of a revolver rang out. Schaef kept right
on, never stopping a second, except, perhaps, for surprise.
"Crack!" almost in her face came a second spit of fire in the
darkness, and a bullet crashed through the leaves and buried
itself in a tree with a ping. The intruder's marksmanship was
poor, but the dog paid no attention to it.
"One of the few animals that show no fear of gunfire," muttered
Kennedy, in undisguised admiration.
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