ever heard. The yell was uttered by Washington
Washington.

"Leggo me! Leggo! He kotched me! He kotched me! Wo--o--o--o--o--ow!"

The howls of the colored boy ended in a gurgle.

"Shoot!" commanded Grace. "Shoot high! Empty your rifle!"

Both girls let go a rattling fire with their rifles, and the howls and
the shots brought the others of their party tumbling and shouting from
their tents.

"Down! Quiet!" commanded Grace. "Let no one shoot without orders, unless
in an emergency. I am going out there."

"Better not," advised Miss Briggs.

"I must. You know I must. If they have harmed that boy--Well, you know
the answer. Keep them quiet."

With only her revolver, Grace crept around the outer edge of the camp,
making every movement with extreme care, pausing now and then to listen.
It was her opinion that the disturbers had left, but she was too old a
campaigner to take that for granted, and never for an instant relaxed
her caution.

The Overland girl reached the far end of the camp without incident. She
crept to the tent where the colored boy slept and found it empty. There
was no trace, that she was able to discover in the dark, to indicate
what had happened to him. Not satisfied with what she had already
accomplished, Grace crept further out along the trail, revolver in hand,
eyes and ears keenly on the alert.

Finally she turned campwards.

"They have got the boy," she announced, coming up from the rear of the
tents, and approaching her companions from behind. All were sitting on
the ground, silent, expectant, waiting, either for Grace's return or a
burst of revolver fire. Their nerves jumped from the reaction when Grace
spoke to them.

"Oh, that is too bad," murmured Anne.

"Did you discover anything else?" asked Elfreda.

"No. I could not see anything in the dark. The worst of it is that we
shall not be able to do a thing until morning. That settles our getting
started in the morning, for I for one shall not leave here until we have
found Washington. I don't know why they should have taken the boy. He
surely can be of no use to them."

"He can give them information, can't he?" asked Hippy.

"None that will be of use to them."

"It is my opinion," spoke up Elfreda, "that they were not after the boy
at all, but that his howls made it necessary for them to take him to
protect themselves. Of course they will drag such information as he has,
from him."

"We must all stand watch for the rest of the