Officers have gone in pursuit of the animal, but passers-by may encounter the dog before the officers do.

The dog is a huge English mastiff, without collar.
Turn back unless armed!" "Fine and cheery!" exclaimed Tom Reade, looking rather startled despite his light comment.
"And, just as it happens, this is the only road in the country that we want to use just at present," commented Dick Prescott.
"Shall we go ahead, keeping a sharp lookout ?" asked Dave.
"I don't know," Dick muttered.

"We'll have to think that over a bit." "There are six of us, and we can cut good, stout clubs before we proceed farther," suggested Greg Holmes.
"Yes, and probably, if attacked, we could finish the dog," Dick went on.

"Yet, most likely, before we did kill the brute, he'd have bitten at least one of us." "I'll go on, if the rest of you fellows want to," observed Danny Grin.

"At the same time, it looks like taking a big chance, doesn't it ?" "It's taking a chance, of course," Dick admitted.