ippy suggested that perhaps the Indian had gone off by himself to
listen to the voices of nature.

"Perhaps he has gone away to shoot somebody's wooden leg," suggested
Emma demurely.

Elfreda nodded, and said she too was convinced that Willy Horse had
fired the shots that shattered Peg Tatem's wooden leg, and the girls
agreed with her. They never got any nearer to the truth of that
occurrence, for, when questioned later about it, Willy Horse seemed
unable to understand what they were talking about.

The Indian did not reappear until the following morning. That day he led
them a long chase and kept the Overlanders at a fast jog. How he ever
stood up under it they could not imagine, and when they stopped he was
breathing naturally, and did not appear to be in the least fatigued.

"Come camp to-night," he told them when asked how near they were to
their destination.

The woman guide had little to say, but her sour expression told the
Overlanders that she was not pleased that the Indian was leading them.

The skies clouded over late in the afternoon, and later a drizzling rain
set in, but they continued on, well protected by their waterproof coats,
the hoods of which covered their heads. Henry, however, was a
disconsolate-looking object, but Hindenburg, riding in Hippy's saddle
bag, was dry and cosy, sleeping soundly as the rain pattered on his
sleeping quarters.

Night found the party still some little distance from its destination,
and Willy Horse was appealed to for encouragement. Emma wanted to camp
where they were but the others outvoted her, so on they rode.

From then on the journey was an unpleasant one. The shins of the riders
were barked from contact with trees. Low-hanging limbs of small
second-growth trees slapped their faces and deluged the riders with
water, and altogether they were experiencing about the most unpleasant
ride that they had ever taken, except possibly that across the Great
American Desert earlier in their vacation riding.

Grace, perhaps, was the only exception, in that she found herself
enjoying the unusual experience and the excitement of it, for the
stumbles of the ponies were frequent; here and there a tree was heard to
fall crashing to earth, and, high and piercing on the soggy night air,
they occasionally heard the mournful howl of a wolf.

"There goes seven dollars and a half," Emma would wail every time a wolf
howled.

Willy Horse finally shouted and indicated by a gesture,