Part 11 (1/2)

Ja.n.u.s fixed the fire, then walked briskly away. In their tent the girls had begun undressing before this. Fortunately their kimonos had not been soaked, and after being warmed at the fire by Harriet the loose gowns felt decidedly comfortable. No time was lost in rolling in their blankets, which had been spread on the ground. For pillows inflated rubber bags were used. No one complained of the hardness of their beds, the little company was too sleepy. Silence soon settled over the camp, and the Meadow-Brook Girls slept peacefully.

Two hours had elapsed when they were awakened by a commotion somewhere outside. The shrill neighs of the horses sounded the first alarm, followed by what seemed to be a fall, a whinny, then the rapid beating of hoofs.

Harriet struggled to get out of her blanket, in which she had wound herself tightly. The tent was in darkness. She decided that the campfire had gone out. For a moment she had to think hard to recall where she was. Before she had untangled herself, the others of the party were struggling to free themselves from their blankets.

”What is it?” cried Margery in terror.

”Stay where you are! I don't know. Something is wrong out there,”

answered Harriet, hurriedly pulling on her skirt. ”Dress yourselves.

We don't know what--oh, look out!”

Something struck the tent a terrific blow, followed by a series of snorts and squeals. The tent began to waver.

”It's falling!” cried Miss Elting warningly.

”Get to the other side,” shouted Harriet Burrell, herself leaping to the right-hand side of the tent in a single bound. Her companions fell, rather than sprang, aside. They were none too soon as it was, for the tent swayed, then lurched to the right, collapsing over the heads of the Meadow-Brook Girls amid the continued snorts of horses near at hand, accompanied by the sound of beating hoofs and the shouts of the two men at the other side of the camp.

CHAPTER VIII

CRAZY JANE'S ”FIND”

Tommy, having been unable to free herself from her blanket, had rolled over and over until she reached the opposite side of the tent. Margery Brown, not having got out of the way, had been hit on the head by a tent-pole, which knocked her down and so dazed her for the moment that she lay whimpering where she had fallen.

Of this Harriet and Miss Elting were unaware. Their efforts were directed toward getting out of the tent to learn what had occurred.

They could hear the canvas ripping; and the noise of the floundering hordes just outside was still going on. Together the two women fought their way out from under the canvas.

”Catch 'em! Catch 'em!” Jim was yelling at the top of his voice. ”The horses are getting away!”

”Yes, and they have taken a good part of the tent with them,” called Harriet.

The men had halted, not knowing whether they should proceed or not.

”Come on! come on!” cried Miss Elting. She could not see the horses, but she could hear them cras.h.i.+ng through the bushes whinnying in terror. There was something sinister in this sudden outbreak, something that neither Miss Elting nor Harriet Burrell understood.

Jane, having crawled from beneath the overturned tent, came running to them.

”What a mess!” she cried in dismay. ”I feel as though I had been in a railroad wreck. What was it?”

”The horses,” answered Harriet.

”Is that all? Didn't anything fall on us?”

”I think we had a narrow escape from being trampled by the horses.”

The guide came running to them.

”Was any one hurt? What, the tent down?”

”Yes. The animals ran into it and tore it down,” replied the guardian.