Everything had been made as sane and obvious and proper as a lunatic's dream.

The wool, it seems, was on account of the concussion of the rifle; the man had some too.

Obviously! So long as the rats turned tail on Cossar no harm could come to him, and directly they headed for him he would see their eyes and fire between them.

Since they would have to come down the cylinder of the hole, Cossar could hardly fail to hit them.

It was, Cossar insisted, the obvious method, a little tedious perhaps, but absolutely certain.