yards away.

There the poor little lonely frightened girl wept and wailed and cried
out for her father and Hector, until at last, in sheer exhaustion, she
lapsed into a sort of stupor and knew no more.

CHAPTER XI

The Losing and Finding of Ailie

It was not until they had completed the day's task and the wood was all
ready to be loaded into the cart, that Mr. Macrae missed Ailie.

Not seeing her about, he called out:

'Ailie, Ailie, my bairnie, where are you? Come ye here noo!'

Then, getting no response, he began to call louder and louder, and to
go this way and that among the trees, looking anxiously for the
golden-haired lassie, while Hector ran out on the prairie calling with
all his might:

'Ailie! Ailie! come here.' Still no answer, and as the sun had set
and it was already beginning to grow dusk, the anxiety of father and
brother became intense.

Little Ailie was lost--lost on the prairie--and in a short time night
would be upon them. Oh, what was to be done?

After the first hurried rushing hither and thither without avail, Mr.
Macrae, realizing that it would be necessary to carry on the search on
a larger scale, called Hector to him and said:

'We must have help. I'll go and get our friends. Ye bide here. Maybe
Ailie will come back of herself.'

So saying, Mr. Macrae set off on foot across the prairie at a swift
pace, far faster than could have been made by the heavily-loaded cart.

Thus left alone, Hector, in spite of himself, began to feel nervous.
Snow, the first of the year, began falling softly and silently.

For some time Hector sat waiting, then the happy thought came to him to
set the dogs on Ailie's trail. He took from his pocket a ribbon the
child had dropped the day before, and showing it to the clever
creatures, told them to 'find Ailie.' They seemed to understand at
once what was expected of them, and set out on the vanishing, whitening
trail, Hector keeping up with them as best he might.

Soon after this, Mr. Macrae and his party arrived, each man bearing a
lantern or torch. They were greatly dismayed to find Hector also
missing, and doubly hastened their preparations for the search. Under
Mr. Macrae's directions, the party, leaving their horses tied to the
trees, until they had first made search on foot, spread out in a long
line, ten yards or so separating each man from his neighbour, and
proceeded to make a thorough search of the prairie.

It was a weird n