that, Bessie judged correctly that he would take no more
chances than were necessary.

"Bessie, are you crazy?" gasped Dolly, as they came into the circle of
light from the fire. "My feet are all wet! Whatever is the matter with
you? You nearly made me smash my camera!"

"I don't care," said Bessie, panting, but immensely relieved. "Sit down
here by the fire and take off your shoes and stockings; they'll soon get
dry. I'm going to do it."

She was as good as her word, and not until they had dried their feet and
set the shoes and stockings to dry would she explain what had caused her
wild dash from the scene of the trap they had laid for the deer, and
which had so nearly proved to be a trap for them, instead.

"If you'd looked up when that powder went off you'd have run yourself,
Dolly, without being made to do it," she said, then. "That wasn't a deer
we heard, Dolly."

"What was it, a bear or some sort of a wild animal?"

"No, it was a man."

Dolly's face was pale, even in the ruddy glow of the fire.

"You don't mean--it wasn't--"

"The gypsy? Yes, that's just who it was, Dolly. He's found out somehow
where we are, you see. It's just what I was afraid of, that he would
manage to follow us over here. But I'm not afraid now, as long as we
know he's around. I don't see how he can possibly do you any harm."

"Oh, Bessie, what a lucky, lucky thing that we saw him! If we hadn't
just happened to try to get that picture we would never have done it.
The nasty brute! The idea of his daring to follow us over here. Do you
think he would have really tried to carry me back to his tribe, Bessie?"

"I don't know, Dolly. His face looked awful when I saw it in the glare.
But then, of course, he was terribly surprised. He probably thought he
was the only soul awake for miles and miles, and to have that thing go
off in one's face would startle anybody, and make them look pretty
scary."

"I should say so! You have to pucker up your face and shut your eyes. Do
you think he saw us, Bessie?"

"I shouldn't think it was very likely, Dolly. You see, it's just as you
say. The glare of a flashlight is blinding, when it goes off suddenly
like that, right in front of you. I don't think you're likely to see
much of anything except the glare. And, of course, he hadn't the
slightest reason to be expecting to see us. I expect he's more puzzled
and frightened than we are; he's certainly a good deal more puzzled."

"Then maybe he'll be so