to a certain point," answered Grace.

"Go on."

"They unhorsed Hippy at that point, and I should not be at all surprised
if they hit him over the head with a club or the butt of a revolver.
You see how easy it would be to do that without being discovered, the
foliage being so dense over the trail. After unhorsing him they at least
dragged him back for some little distance before they picked him up. I
found the marks of his heels where they had dug into the soft earth as
he was being dragged."

"You--you said you wished to--to get something," reminded Miss Briggs,
somewhat dazed by her companion's rapid recital.

"Yes. I discovered it when I was on my knees examining the trail here."
Grace stooped over and, thrusting a hand into the bushes, brought forth
an object which she held up for Elfreda's inspection.

"Do you recognize it, J. Elfreda?"

[Illustration: "Hippy's Hat!" Gasped Miss Briggs.]

"Hippy's hat!" gasped Miss Briggs.

"Yes. Let us examine it. Look at this! Am I right?" demanded Grace
triumphantly. "Hippy was whacked over the head with the butt of a
revolver, and the blow cut right through the felt. No wonder he made no
outcry. He is a lucky fellow if he hasn't a fractured skull. Elfreda,
this is serious."

"Both serious and marvelous--serious so far as Hippy is concerned, and
marvelous so far as your visualizing the incident is concerned,"
declared Miss Briggs.

"Do you think we should tell Nora?"

"We must tell her something, and we cannot tell her an untruth," replied
Elfreda after brief reflection. "I should advise telling her all except
about the hat. We can conveniently forget about the hat. He was taken
prisoner by two men, probably in the belief that it was some one else
they were capturing."

"I don't think so," interrupted Grace.

"I do," insisted Miss Briggs.

"All right, then you tell the story to Nora. Let's go back."

Grace hid the hat, intending to return for it at another time, as it
might be useful as evidence. They then started on to join their
companions, both silent and thoughtful.

Reaching the halting place of the party in the clearing, Elfreda,
without giving Grace an opportunity to speak, launched forth into a
description of what they had discovered--minus the hat.

Nora wept silently, and Emma slipped a comforting hand into hers.

"Don't cry, Nora darling. Hippy will be back. Nobody, not even a
mountaineer, could live with him very long. I don't see how you ever