Part 34 (1/2)

”s.h.!.+” advised Sammy again, and earnestly. ”I got an idea.”

”What is it?” asked Tess, without much curiosity.

”This here window in front!” whispered the boy. ”We can open it. It is all dark at that end of the van. If we can slide out on to the seat we'll climb down in the dark and get into the woods. I know the way to the road. I can see a patch of it through the window. What say?”

”But Dot? She sleeps so hard,” breathed Tess.

”We can poke her through the window on to the seat. Then we will crawl through. If she doesn't wake up and holler--”

”I'll stop her from hollering,” agreed Tess firmly. ”We'll try it, Sammy, before those awful women get back into the van.”

Fortunately for the attempt of the captives their own supper had been dispatched with promptness. The Gypsies were still sitting about over the meal when Sammy opened that front window in the van.

He and Tess lifted Dot, who complained but faintly and kept her eyes tightly closed, and pushed her feet first through the small window.

The driver's seat was broad and roomy. The little girl lay there all right while first Tess and then Sammy crept through the window.

It was dark here, and they could scarcely see the way to the ground.

But Sammy ventured down first, and after barking his s.h.i.+ns a little found the step and whispered his directions to Tess about pa.s.sing Dot down to him.

They actually got to the ground themselves and brought the smallest Corner House girl with them without any serious mishap. Sammy tried to carry Dot over his shoulder, but he could not stagger far with her.

And, too, the sleepy child began to object.

”s.h.!.+ Keep still!” hissed her sister in Dot's ear. ”Do you want the Gypsies to get you again?”

She had to help Sammy carry the child, however. Dot was such a heavy sleeper--especially when she first went to sleep--that nothing could really bring her back to realities. The two stumbled along with her in the deep shadows and actually reached the woods that bordered the encampment.

Suddenly a dog barked. Somebody shouted to the animal and it subsided with a sullen growl. But in a moment another dog began to yap. The guards of the camp realized that something was going wrong, although as yet none of the dogs had scented the escaping children exactly.

”Oh, hurry! Hurry!” gasped Tess. ”The dogs will chase us.”

”I am afraid they will,” admitted Sammy. ”We got to hide our trail.”

”How'll we do that, Sammy?” gasped Tess.

”Like the Indians do,” declared the boy. ”We got to find a stream of water and wade in it.”

”But I've got shoes and stockings on. And Mrs. McCall says we can't go wading without asking permission.”

”Crickey! how you going to run away from these Gypsies if you've got to mind what you're told all the time?” asked Sammy desperately.

”But won't the water be cold? And why wade in it, anyway?”

”So the dogs can't follow our scent. They can't follow scent through water. Come on. We got to find a brook or something.”

”There's the ca.n.a.l,” ventured Tess, in an awed whisper.

”The ca.n.a.l, your granny!” exclaimed the exasperated boy. ”That's over your head, Tess Kenway.”