HORSES GIVE THE ALARM
"Will you tell me where you placed the first packs when you came ashore
with them?" asked Harriet, turning to the driver.
"Right against the rocks."
"And behind that large boulder?"
"Yes. How did you know?"
"Oh, I saw where you threw the first pack down. It left the mark of
the rope in the soft dirt," explained the girl. "I am not gifted with
second sight, but I did see that. What I started to say was that I
know how the packs got in the river."
"You know?" asked Miss Elting.
"Yes. They were thrown in."
For a few impressive seconds no one spoke. Janus combed his whiskers
with the fingers of one hand. Jim, the driver, sprang to his feet, his
face crimson with anger.
"I won't stand for that. Why should I throw the old stuff in the
river?" he demanded indignantly.
"I beg your pardon. I did not accuse you of it," said Harriet. "I
know you did not. It was some other person who threw the packs into
the river."
They gazed at her in amazement.
"Harriet, what _do_ you mean?" cried the guardian.
"If she had lived up here two hundred years ago or so the people would
have tied her to a stake and set fire to her," declared Janus,
punctuating his declaration with a series of quick, emphatic nods.
"The driver placed the pack behind the boulder and against the rocks,"
said Harriet. "Surely, he knew where he left the things. What is
more, I looked while he had gone in search of them, and, as I've
already said, saw where he had left the pack. The rest was easy to
understand. The packs could not possibly have got into the river
unless they had been thrown there."
"But who----" began Jim.
"I don't know. That it was none of our party goes without saying.
Perhaps Mr. Grubb can tell us. Who do you think it could have been,
sir?" she asked, turning to the guide.
"I swum! I swum!" muttered the guide.
"It isn't possible!" exploded Jim.
"I reckon Miss--Miss Burrell is right, Jim," agreed the guide. "Either
you threw the stuff in, or somebody else did, and we know you didn't,
so what's the answer? The young lady has given us the answer, and
there you are."
"I'm sorry," pondered Miss Elting. "I was in hopes this journey would
be free from unpleasantness, but here we are meeting with difficulties
at the very start of it. Have you any enemies who would wish to do you
harm, Mr. Grubb?"
"No, no, no! Nothing like that, Miss."
"Do you know a man named Collins?"
"Collins? Never heard of him. Who is he?"
"I don't know. I will tell you something that you do not know, either.
The night we arrived at Compton a man called on me at the hotel to ask
me to discharge you and let him act as our guide instead. He said he
needed the money. He also said we would be sorry for having taken you
as our guide; that we would get into no end of trouble were we to go
with you. He intimated a great deal more than he put into words. It
was plain that he disliked you very much. He made a distinctly
unfavorable impression upon me. Harriet saw him, too, just as he was
taking his leave."
"Well, I swum!" Janus was tugging nervously at his whiskers. There
were beads of perspiration on his forehead. His lips moved rapidly,
but he uttered no further words for some moments.
"You may go out in the woodth and thay it, if you want to," suggested
Tommy, who had been regarding the guide shrewdly.
Every one laughed. It was so plain that Janus _did_ want to say
things, yet restrained himself because of his position and the party he
was conducting.
"Forget it!" he exploded. "I haven't any enemies. Nobody but a crazy
man would try to interfere with Janus Grubb. They know me. Why, there
isn't a man in the state who wouldn't swear by me. If you think I'm
not dependable, that----"
"No, Mr. Grubb," hastily interposed Miss Elting. "Please do not
misunderstand me. We are quite satisfied with you, but I hope you will
be cautious. It is plain that you _have_ an enemy, and, what is more,
I am positive that I have talked with that man, and that we had better
proceed with caution."
"I'll take care of the rascal, once I set eyes on him," growled the
guide. "What-for-looking man was he?"
Miss Elting described her caller, Harriet adding a few words with
reference to the peculiar hitch of Collins's shoulders as he walked.
Janus eyed the guardian with a worried look. His fingers opened and
closed nervously. He gulped, then turned to her.
"Perhaps I'd better not go on with you. I'll get some one else to take
you through the mountains. I----"
"No, Mr. Grubb. You will go on with us," insisted Miss Elting. "We
are not afraid. We are quite used to taking care of ourselves, but I
wished to impress upon you the advisability of being on your guard. If
you have an enemy who intends to do you harm, naturally we shall be
likely to suffer with you. For that reason I urge caution. Another
thing about which I should like to speak is the burning of the bridge
this evening."
Janus braced himself. It was as if he looked for an inquiry on this
subject, but had been hoping to avoid it.
"Yes?"
"I wish some one would explain how the bridge happened to catch fire,"
urged the guardian.
"So do I," he admitted, still consulting his abundant whiskers. "What
do you think?"
"I think some one set it on fire," declared Jane explosively. "I'd
like to meet the villain on the broad highway, some time when I have my
car!"
"Yes, it was set on fire," agreed Hazel, nodding reflectively. "I
thought so at the time. Since thinking over the matter further I am
more positive of it than ever. It was an awful thing to do."
"The person must have known that we could get away," suggested Harriet.
"I believe it was done to spite Mr. Grubb."
"To spite me!" shouted Janus. "What do you mean?"
"I believe the planks were taken up so that you couldn't get across the
bridge with your horses and wagon. I think whoever did it wished to
make you lose your horses and carry-all as well as our stuff. If it
was our mysterious enemy, then he knew that we could escape. But how
can you get back with your horses?"
"There's another bridge five miles above here. I'll go that way in the
morning. I'll ride one of the horses and lead the other one."
Harriet rose and piled more wood on the campfire. She then began
laying out the sections of their tent, which she laced together. Janus
stepped over to her.
"You sit down, Miss. We will do that," he insisted. Jim was sent out
to cut some poles for the tent, Janus in the meantime smoothing off a
space on the ground on which to pitch the tent. The canvas was still
quite wet. Examination of the blankets showed that these had not yet
dried out sufficiently to make them fit for use. "I guess you'll have
to sit up and wait for the things to dry out," declared the guide. He
was troubled over what had happened as well as what had been said that
evening. Janus, too, was still thinking of the description given him
of Miss Elting's caller. He thought he knew whom that description
fitted, all except the beard. It was the beard that spoiled the
picture he had in mind. He pondered over this all during the time he
was working on the tent, pausing now and then to stroke his own beard.
"Don't worry about it. We are not afraid," said a soothing voice at
his side. He glanced around to find Harriet Burrell's brown eyes
smiling up at him.
"Eh? What?"
"I said don't worry. We aren't afraid."
"Thank you, Miss. You are the right sort. Yes, we'll take care of the
gentleman, if it should prove to be some one trying to do us harm."
"You know who it is?"
Janus shook his head.
"You think you know?"
Again the guide shook his head dubiously.
"I might, but I don't," he replied somewhat ambiguously. "It isn't the
party I had in mind. He isn't around these parts now. Jim is going to
see the sheriff when he gets back to Compton and have the officer look
into this bridge affair. I was a deputy sheriff in the county once.
The present sheriff will do anything for me. Besides, this is a matter
he's bound to look into, anyway. Here, Jim, get hold of that
end-pole." Harriet sprang to the other end and raised the pole,
setting the lower end firmly on the ground, motioning to Jane to make
fast the side wall on one side. Hazel also ran around to the other
side, Margery to an end, then, for a few moments, the Meadow-Brook
Girls gave an exhibition of their skill in pitching a tent, while Janus
and Jim stood back in open-mouthed wonder.
"There!" exclaimed Harriet, flushed of face, eyes sparkling, "that is
the way we make camp."
"Well, I swum!" muttered Janus. "It beats all."
Jane turned the blankets on the line. By this time the clothing in the
packs was fairly well dried, but it looked wrinkled and old. Harriet
now began digging a trench around the sides of the tent, so they should
not be flooded in case of rain. Janus took the pick from her,
completing the job. The Meadow-Brook Girls moved rather rapidly for
the slow-going Janus. He was unused to such activity, especially in
women.
Margery and Tommy were busy clearing away the supper things. Jim went
out to bring the horses in nearer to camp, where he tied them up for
the night. At Janus's direction the driver also made a bed for the two
men out among the trees some distance from the tent that was to be
occupied by Miss Elting and her charges. The preparations for the
night went on with rather more confusion than usual, the party having
been more or less upset by the occurrences of the evening; beside
which, they had not yet become familiar with the routine that marked
the well-ordered camp.
"There isn't a dry piece of cloth in the place," complained Margery,
after examining the line of blankets and clothing. "What are we going
to do?"
"Sit up until the blankets, at least, have dried out," answered Jane.
"They are nearly dry now. See! Harriet is doing something to them.
What are you trying to do, darlin'?"
"Spread out some blankets on the ground and I'll show you," answered
Harriet laughingly. "It is an Indian trick I learned a long time ago."
The girl had placed some large, round stones in the fire, heating them
to a point that caused them to sizzle when a drop of water came in
contact with them. Poking three of these heated stones from the fire
Harriet rolled them in one of the gray army blankets. She did the same
with other blankets; then, passing from one to another, watched closely
for the odor of burning cloth. Only one blanket had to be opened to
permit the stones to cool off a little. For a full half hour these
heated stones were permitted to remain in the blankets. Then, upon
unrolling, the blankets were found to be dry and warm and ready for use
for the night.
"Well, I swum!" observed the guide, "you've taught me something. Say,
what do you young women need of a guide? You know more about camping
than any guide in the state."
"Oh, we have plenty to learn," answered Harriet brightly, busying
herself in placing the blankets in the tent, Jane, in the meantime,
being engaged in fitting the flap to the opening. The other girls were
standing about, sleepily rubbing their eyes, for it was now midnight,
and they were weary both from the physical exertions of the day and
night, as well as because of the many hours that had elapsed since they
left their beds shortly after daylight.
"Is there anything more we can do for you?" risked Janus, with added
respect.
"Nothing more, thank you," returned Miss Elting. "You two had better
turn in now. Good-night."
Janus 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.