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- Артур Конан Дойл
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- Tales of Terror and Mystery
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- Стр. 61/137
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How
slowly
those
dreadful
two
hours
went
by
!
Once
I
heard
a
low
,
rasping
sound
,
which
I
took
to
be
the
creature
licking
its
own
fur
.
Several
times
those
greenish
eyes
gleamed
at
me
through
the
darkness
,
but
never
in
a
fixed
stare
,
and
my
hopes
grew
stronger
that
my
presence
had
been
forgotten
or
ignored
.
At
last
the
least
faint
glimmer
of
light
came
through
the
windows
—
I
first
dimly
saw
them
as
two
grey
squares
upon
the
black
wall
,
then
grey
turned
to
white
,
and
I
could
see
my
terrible
companion
once
more
.
And
he
,
alas
,
could
see
me
!
It
was
evident
to
me
at
once
that
he
was
in
a
much
more
dangerous
and
aggressive
mood
than
when
I
had
seen
him
last
.
The
cold
of
the
morning
had
irritated
him
,
and
he
was
hungry
as
well
.
With
a
continual
growl
he
paced
swiftly
up
and
down
the
side
of
the
room
which
was
farthest
from
my
refuge
,
his
whiskers
bristling
angrily
,
and
his
tail
switching
and
lashing
.
As
he
turned
at
the
corners
his
savage
eyes
always
looked
upwards
at
me
with
a
dreadful
menace
.
I
knew
then
that
he
meant
to
kill
me
.
Yet
I
found
myself
even
at
that
moment
admiring
the
sinuous
grace
of
the
devilish
thing
,
its
long
,
undulating
,
rippling
movements
,
the
gloss
of
its
beautiful
flanks
,
the
vivid
,
palpitating
scarlet
of
the
glistening
tongue
which
hung
from
the
jet
-
black
muzzle
.
And
all
the
time
that
deep
,
threatening
growl
was
rising
and
rising
in
an
unbroken
crescendo
.
I
knew
that
the
crisis
was
at
hand
.
It
was
a
miserable
hour
to
meet
such
a
death
—
so
cold
,
so
comfortless
,
shivering
in
my
light
dress
clothes
upon
this
gridiron
of
torment
upon
which
I
was
stretched
.
I
tried
to
brace
myself
to
it
,
to
raise
my
soul
above
it
,
and
at
the
same
time
,
with
the
lucidity
which
comes
to
a
perfectly
desperate
man
,
I
cast
round
for
some
possible
means
of
escape
.
One
thing
was
clear
to
me
.
If
that
front
of
the
cage
was
only
back
in
its
position
once
more
,
I
could
find
a
sure
refuge
behind
it
.
Could
I
possibly
pull
it
back
?
I
hardly
dared
to
move
for
fear
of
bringing
the
creature
upon
me
.
Slowly
,
very
slowly
,
I
put
my
hand
forward
until
it
grasped
the
edge
of
the
front
,
the
final
bar
which
protruded
through
the
wall
.
To
my
surprise
it
came
quite
easily
to
my
jerk
.
Of
course
the
difficulty
of
drawing
it
out
arose
from
the
fact
that
I
was
clinging
to
it
.
I
pulled
again
,
and
three
inches
of
it
came
through
.
It
ran
apparently
on
wheels
.
I
pulled
again
.
.
.
and
then
the
cat
sprang
!
It
was
so
quick
,
so
sudden
,
that
I
never
saw
it
happen
.
I
simply
heard
the
savage
snarl
,
and
in
an
instant
afterwards
the
blazing
yellow
eyes
,
the
flattened
black
head
with
its
red
tongue
and
flashing
teeth
,
were
within
reach
of
me
.
The
impact
of
the
creature
shook
the
bars
upon
which
I
lay
,
until
I
thought
(
as
far
as
I
could
think
of
anything
at
such
a
moment
)
that
they
were
coming
down
.
The
cat
swayed
there
for
an
instant
,
the
head
and
front
paws
quite
close
to
me
,
the
hind
paws
clawing
to
find
a
grip
upon
the
edge
of
the
grating
.
I
heard
the
claws
rasping
as
they
clung
to
the
wire
-
netting
,
and
the
breath
of
the
beast
made
me
sick
.
But
its
bound
had
been
miscalculated
.
It
could
not
retain
its
position
.
Slowly
,
grinning
with
rage
,
and
scratching
madly
at
the
bars
,
it
swung
backwards
and
dropped
heavily
upon
the
floor
.
With
a
growl
it
instantly
faced
round
to
me
and
crouched
for
another
spring
.
I
knew
that
the
next
few
moments
would
decide
my
fate
.
The
creature
had
learned
by
experience
.
It
would
not
miscalculate
again
.
I
must
act
promptly
,
fearlessly
,
if
I
were
to
have
a
chance
for
life
.
In
an
instant
I
had
formed
my
plan
.
Pulling
off
my
dress
-
coat
,
I
threw
it
down
over
the
head
of
the
beast
.
At
the
same
moment
I
dropped
over
the
edge
,
seized
the
end
of
the
front
grating
,
and
pulled
it
frantically
out
of
the
wall
.
It
came
more
easily
than
I
could
have
expected
.
I
rushed
across
the
room
,
bearing
it
with
me
;
but
,
as
I
rushed
,
the
accident
of
my
position
put
me
upon
the
outer
side
.
Had
it
been
the
other
way
,
I
might
have
come
off
scathless
.
As
it
was
,
there
was
a
moment
’
s
pause
as
I
stopped
it
and
tried
to
pass
in
through
the
opening
which
I
had
left
.
That
moment
was
enough
to
give
time
to
the
creature
to
toss
off
the
coat
with
which
I
had
blinded
him
and
to
spring
upon
me
.
I
hurled
myself
through
the
gap
and
pulled
the
rails
to
behind
me
,
but
he
seized
my
leg
before
I
could
entirely
withdraw
it
.
One
stroke
of
that
huge
paw
tore
off
my
calf
as
a
shaving
of
wood
curls
off
before
a
plane
.
The
next
moment
,
bleeding
and
fainting
,
I
was
lying
among
the
foul
straw
with
a
line
of
friendly
bars
between
me
and
the
creature
which
ramped
so
frantically
against
them
.
Too
wounded
to
move
,
and
too
faint
to
be
conscious
of
fear
,
I
could
only
lie
,
more
dead
than
alive
,
and
watch
it
.
It
pressed
its
broad
,
black
chest
against
the
bars
and
angled
for
me
with
its
crooked
paws
as
I
have
seen
a
kitten
do
before
a
mouse
-
trap
.
It
ripped
my
clothes
,
but
,
stretch
as
it
would
,
it
could
not
quite
reach
me
.
I
have
heard
of
the
curious
numbing
effect
produced
by
wounds
from
the
great
carnivora
,
and
now
I
was
destined
to
experience
it
,
for
I
had
lost
all
sense
of
personality
,
and
was
as
interested
in
the
cat
’
s
failure
or
success
as
if
it
were
some
game
which
I
was
watching
.
And
then
gradually
my
mind
drifted
away
into
strange
vague
dreams
,
always
with
that
black
face
and
red
tongue
coming
back
into
them
,
and
so
I
lost
myself
in
the
nirvana
of
delirium
,
the
blessed
relief
of
those
who
are
too
sorely
tried
.
