tongues cleaning harness
after the rain and mud of the afternoon before. The boys were polishing
the coats of the beautiful horses, till they shone again.

All these activities Ruth Fielding could see through the tiny windows of
the queen's van, in which she and Helen Cameron were imprisoned. Her
chum roused, too, but was half tempted to cry, when she remembered their
circumstances. Queen Zelaya had gone out.

"Come on!" exclaimed Ruth. "We've got to make the best of it. Get on
your dress and shoes, and perhaps they will let us out, too."

"Let's run away, Ruthie," whispered Helen.

"The very first chance we get--sure we will!" agreed her chum.

They found the door unlocked, and, as nobody stayed them, the two girls
descended the steps to the ground. A cross-looking dog came and smelled
of them, but the bold-looking girl who had brought the supper the night
before drove him away.

Ruth essayed to speak to her, but she shook her head and laughed.
Perhaps she did not understand much English.

Ruth was looking around eagerly for Roberto. Had she seen the Gypsy boy,
she would certainly have thrown herself--and Helen--upon him for
protection. But although not many of the Gypsies looked unkindly toward
the girls, none appeared really friendly.

The woman who had aided in their capture the night before took them down
to the water, where they might wash their faces and hands and comb their
hair, using the toilet requisites from their bags. Nobody had offered
to interfere with them in any manner, or touch their belongings. The
woman waited patiently until they were ready, and took them back to the
camping ground for breakfast.

But Ruth had seen something. At first she dared not whisper it to her
chum. After they had eaten (and a very good breakfast it was that the
Gypsies gave them), she managed to get Helen out of earshot of the
watchers.

Everybody in the camp watched the prisoners. The girls were not driven
back into the van again at once, but Ruth saw that even the children
circled about her and Helen, at a little distance, so that the girls
were continuously guarded.

They sat down upon an old stump, in an open space, where nobody could
creep near enough to hear what Ruth said to Helen without one or the
other of the captives seeing the eavesdropper.

"What is it?" asked Helen, anxiously. "Oh, Ruth! where do you suppose
Tom is? What can he think of us?"

"I only hope Tom won't come along here alone and fall