Thus prepared they settled themselves for the night, all the other members of the party being in their tents and, supposedly, asleep.
It was late when Grace and Elfreda were aroused by Washington talking, muttering in his sleep, then the nerves of the two girls leaped to attention as, out of the bushes on Miss Briggs' side of the camp, a twig snapped.

It was accompanied by a sound that indicated the presence of a human being.
"Who goes ?" demanded Elfreda sharply.
_Bang!_ Without giving the maker of the noise out there time to answer, she fired a shot from her revolver into the trees in that direction, but high enough to be certain that one underneath them would not be hit.
Miss Briggs' shot brought instant results.
"Hey there! Cut the gun!" howled Hippy Wingate.
"It's Hippy!" breathed Grace, springing to her feet.

"Don't shoot, Elfreda!" The two girls sprang up and waited.

They were still cautious, but their companions, awakened by the shot, were not.

Nora, Anne and Emma rushed out, demanding excitedly to know what the trouble was.
At this juncture Hippy walked into the clearing.
"Meet me with a pail of food! I'm starving!" he wailed.
For the next few minutes there was excitement in the camp, Nora clinging to Hippy's neck laughing and crying, Emma standing a little aloof from them with a superior smile on her face, Anne, urging the wide-eyed Washington to start the fire and prepare coffee, and Grace seeking to quiet Nora so that they might hear Hippy's story.
When the campfire blazed up and they saw his condition, Nora wept again.
Hippy was hatless--his hat was out in the bushes where Grace, after finding it, had secreted it--his clothes were torn, he was hollow-eyed, and his head wore a lump that stood out prominently.
"Never mind the trimmings.