having stroked his whiskers
reflectively. Janus always consulted his whiskers when in doubt, and
among the graying hairs usually found that for which he sought. He was
the first to go after a plank. The near horse was the one to feel the
support of the plank as the guide worked it under one side of the
animal. Janus turned the end of the plank over to Harriet Burrell
while he ran for another plank. This was repeated, the driver, after a
time, taking part in the operation, until four planks had been worked
in under the horse.

"Now, all work together," urged Harriet. "Mr. Grubb, see if you and
the driver can't get a couple of planks clear under the horse. If you
can get the end of a plank on one of the beams you will have done
something really worthwhile."

Miss Elting, Jane, Hazel and Harriet each were assigned to "man" the
end of a plank.

"Now, all together! Hee--o--hee!" shouted Janus. A plank slid easily
underneath the stomach of the near horse and came to rest on a beam.

"Hooray!" cheered the guide. "That's what comes of having a head on
one's shoulders. Young woman, you've got one. Let him down a little.
Here, Jim, you get some planks around under that other horse. We'll
have them up, but we may break their legs in the final effort. I don't
know. Somebody will have to settle for the damage done here to-night."

"The wagon is broken," Margery informed them.

"Never mind the wagon. It's the horses we must save," answered Miss
Elting. "We can't leave them to suffer."

Fifteen minutes of hard labor sufficed to raise the horses a little and
to place them in greater comfort. The sharp edges of the beams no
longer cut into the flesh, and their breathing was less labored. The
party paused to rest from their efforts.

"If we had some rope and pulleys we could get the animals out without
much difficulty," reflected Janus. "But how to do it now I don't know.
I swum! I'm dead-beat."

"Can you lift?" questioned Jane.

"Tolerable."

"Then why not pick up first one fore-foot, then another, and place them
on the planks. You'll see what the horses will do then."

Janus scratched his head and fingered his beard.

"I swum, Jim!" he grinned, "let's try it."

Each man took hold of a fore-foot of each horse, and, without much
difficulty, raised it to the planks before each animal. They were
about to go after the other fore-foot when Tommy, who had been standing
back at a safe distance, attract