Chapter XV: A Race for Life

"She'll be killed!" wailed Hazel, covering her eyes to shut out the sight.

"Thave her!" screamed Tommy. The little girl sprang forward, scrambled over the fence and, had she, too, not fallen would have dashed down the field to Harriet Burrell's assistance, utterly regardless of her own peril. The guardian climbed over the fence and had placed a firm grip on the little girl before the latter could get to her feet. Miss Elting fairly dragged Tommy back to the fence and assisted her over.

"She's up again!" cried Hazel. "Oh, hurry, hurry!" Her voice rose to a piercing wail.

Harriet had gotten to her feet. She cast one frightened look over her shoulder, then continued to run towards the fence. They saw that she limped a little. Nor was the girl running as fast as before her fall. The three bulls had gained considerably during the few seconds that Harriet had been down. They were now charging with lowered heads, bunched closely together, this time as though determined that their victim should not escape them.

Just ahead of her, Harriet had seen a ditch, deep and broad, made for the purpose of draining the land. Instantly a plan formed in her active mind. She could not hope to win the race for life by running straight ahead now that the beasts had gained so much on her.

"She's tiring! They'll get her!" moaned Hazel.

"Why didn't you let me go?" screamed Tommy, beside herself with anxiety.

The guardian did not answer. Her eyes, wide and staring, were following every movement of the fleeing girl and the pursuing bulls.

Harriet stopped short, bending over in a crouching position.

"She's going to try to trick them! Oh, what courage!" breathed Miss Elting.

"Look! Thee her now!" shouted Tommy, with a note of triumph in her strained voice.

The animals were fairly upon Harriet. When it seemed as though their horns were touching her, the girl leaped obliquely into the ditch. They saw her run, splashing along in it for a few rods, then spring to the bank on the same side from which she had jumped in.

The watchers saw something else too. The bulls, so intent upon reaching their victim, had taken no notice of the ditch. Perhaps they had been charging with closed eyes, as many bulls do. At any rate the leading beast flung himself headlong into the ditch. The others braced themselves with their front feet and went sliding into the ditch on top of their leader, digging furrows with their hoofs in the soft dirt.

Harriet Burrell's ruse had been successful. She spoke no word, but a glint of triumph flashed into her eyes as she cast a quick glance at the floundering animals, then ran straight toward her companions. This time there was no limping, no lessening of speed. She had covered less than half the distance before two of the animals that had slid into the ditch had recovered themselves and began looking about for the prey that had eluded them.

The slender figure of the Meadow-Brook girl, they soon discovered, was racing across the field. The two bulls clambered out of the ditch and charged again. Now that they were in the open field it was a race that would go to the fleetest. No tricks would avail Harriet this time. She knew that her safety depended on outrunning her pursuers. Had Harriet not been an athletic girl she would have succumbed long before. As it was she ran at a wonderful rate of speed. The shouts of her companions, though heard but faintly, encouraged her, for Harriet's mind was on her work.

The ruse practiced by Harriet had given her the lead in the race. Miss Elting, however, saw that the bulls were gaining on the plucky girl.

"Girls," she said sharply, "remain where you are." With that she climbed to the top of the fence and leaped over into the field. It was her idea that even though Harriet did succeed in reaching the fence, the girl might not have sufficient vitality left to enable her to climb over it.

Harriet, as she drew near, discovered the guardian on her side of the fence and divined the latter's purpose. The girl motioned for Miss Elting to get back. The guardian shook her head and remained where she was.

"Go back! Go back! I'm all right," cried Harriet breathlessly.

The bulls were gaining rapidly. They were now but a few rods behind Harriet Burrell. She put on more speed after one last look over her shoulder while Tommy and Hazel were shouting their encouragement.

"You will be caught. Quick!" gasped Harriet, as she drew rapidly near to the guardian. "Oh, please hurry back to the road!"

Miss Elting did not move. Harriet dashed up beside her and stopped short. Miss Elting grasped the girl's arm. Harriet pulled herself free.

"Not an inch till you get over," declared the girl.

The guardian glanced at her questioningly, then vaulted the fence. Harriet followed her. But ere Harriet had touched the ground on the other side, two sharp-horned heads crashed into the fence. Harriet sank down at the side of the road breathless and exhausted.

Miss Elting pulled the girl to her feet.

"Throw your shoulders well back and inhale deeply!" she commanded. She then led Harriet slowly up and down the road for a few moments. Harriet's heavy respirations soon moderated, and ten minutes later her breathing was almost normal.

"I think we had better wait here. Jane will be along looking for us if we do not get to our camping place by night. Do you feel exhausted?" asked Miss Elting.

"A little weak in the knees, that's all," answered Harriet. "I shall be ready to move in a few minutes. I don't want to stay here. We must try to catch up with the boys."

"No. I shall not allow it. Yon have done quite enough for one day--quite enough to tire out the strongest man. Do you really think you can stand it to walk slowly?"

"Of course I can," answered Harriet brightly. "See, I still have some sprint left in me." Harriet ran up and down the road, vaulting the fence on the opposite side of it.

"You have indeed," laughed Miss Elting. It was the first laugh that had been heard in some time. "You are the most remarkable girl I've ever known, or ever shall know. Now we had better decide on which way we shall go. I think the shorter way will be to skirt the orchard and continue on across the fields. We shan't try the orchard again."

All the girls agreed with the guardian. They had had quite enough of that particular orchard. Following the road for a short distance they came to the adjoining field, which they entered and continued on their journey. The afternoon was now well advanced. Miss Elting had left a mark on the fence to inform Jane of their route, in case she should come back to look for them. This with the time of their passing would give Jane an idea when to expect them at the place stretched for the camp.

As they proceeded, Harriet's strength returned to her. By the time they had walked two miles from the scene of their recent exciting experiences she had fully recovered from her recent exhaustion. Tommy, now that she had time to think about herself, was bewailing the loss of her skirt. She firmly declared she would not go to camp with only an underskirt on and announced her intention of sleeping out in the fields.

Six o'clock had arrived by the time they came out on the crest of a hill overlooking the valley in which they hoped to find Jane McCarthy and their camp. They scanned the valley eagerly.

"There's our tent," cried Hazel, pointing to a clump of trees to the left of them. No person was in sight, however. This they thought strange.

"I should not be surprised if everybody had gone in search of us," said Miss Elting.

"I hope they don't find uth," spoke up Tommy.

"It will be a good opportunity for you to get into camp without being seen," suggested Harriet. "Come, let's hurry down before some one does come."

In order that their approach might be the more screened, they hurried over to a fence along which bushes and small trees grew. Sheltered by these they made their way down into the valley. But when they reached the road Tommy halted.

"Not another thtep," she declared stubbornly. No amount of urging would induce her to go on. It was decided to leave her there while the rest continued on, Harriet promising to return to the little girl with another skirt as soon as possible. So Tommy hid in the bushes, peering out at the retreating forms of her companions.

A fire was smouldering in the Meadow-Brook camp. As the party of girls approached, four boys sprang up. They had been sitting about the fire. Their hats were off instantly, and they tried gallantly to force down the grins that persisted in appearing on their faces.

"Why, how do you do?" greeted Captain Baker of the Tramp Club.

"Where is Miss McCarthy?" questioned Miss Elting, pretending not to have observed the grins.

"She and a couple of the fellows went back to look for you," spoke up Dill Dodd. "The pace was rather swift for you, even if you did get an early start, wasn't it?" he chuckled.

"Yes, the pace was much swifter than you imagine," answered the guardian frigidly.

"It is too bad that Miss McCarthy started out. She may spend a good part of the evening searching for you, not knowing that you have reached camp," said the captain.

"She will know," replied Harriet. "Jane will be back here soon."

"How will she know?" frowned Davy.

"Oh, they have a wireless telegraph system, you know," chuckled Sam.

"Yes, that is it! How did you guess it?" smiled Harriet.

"Don't forget Tommy," reminded Miss Elting.

Harriet flushed. She had indeed, forgotten all about the little lisping girl who was hiding in the bushes. Harriet hurried into the tent.

"That's right. You are one girl short," exclaimed George, suddenly discovering the absence of Miss Thompson. "Did she fall by the wayside? Was the pace too swift for her?"

"Young man, you talk too much," objected Margery indignantly.

"I know it," laughed George. "I can't help it."

Miss Elting's face relaxed in a smile.

"Where _is_ Miss Thompson?" questioned Dill.

"Miss Thompson will be here soon," replied the guardian.

Unnoticed by the boys Harriet slipped away, a bundle under her arm. She returned, a quarter of an hour later, accompanied by Tommy clad in her outside skirt and at peace with the world. They had barely reached the camp before the sound of a motor horn was heard. A few moments afterward Crazy Jane came tearing along the road and swung up to the camp.

"Here we are darlin's," she cried. "I got your message."

"Message?" questioned the captain. "Who gave her a message, Fred?"

"Blest if I know," answered Fred Avery, getting down from the car, removing his hat and scratching his head thoughtfully. "Wireless, I think."

"What did I tell you?" nodded Sam.

The captain regarded Fred inquiringly.

"Oh, don't ask me," said the latter. "Miss McCarthy got out of her car about five miles back, walked to the fence then back to the car. She said her friends had passed there about four o'clock in the afternoon and were in camp then."

"Well, what do you know about that?" wondered the captain. "Tell us how you did it?"

"A little bird told me," chuckled Jane. The girls burst into a merry peal of laughter.