ith a white something in its mouth. Helen
made a valiant dash at it, but it dodged her, and flew like the wind
away between the tents and off somewhere over the fields in the
direction of the farm. The guard with one accord burst out laughing.

"A thieving Welsh sheep-dog raiding the larder!" exclaimed Catherine.

"It's stolen a whole leg of mutton, the brute!" wailed Doris, who
belonged to the Commissariat Department. "I didn't think it could have
reached that. It must have jumped high. It doesn't deserve its prize."

"No wonder it wouldn't answer when I challenged it," observed Ulyth.

"Well, I'm glad it's no worse than a dog," said Miss Teddington. "We
must take steps to-morrow to make the larder safer, or we shall be
troubled again."

"We'll place a guard over it," replied Catherine promptly. "Jessie
Morrison, you are on sentry duty at once to watch the larder. Maggie
Orton will relieve you at three."

CHAPTER XIII

Under Canvas

After the scare in the small hours, everyone settled down again to
slumber. Nevertheless the girls woke with the birds. Many of them had
registered a solemn vow the night before that they would watch the sun
rise, and each was pledged to arouse the others at all costs; so at the
first hint of dawn heads began to pop out of tents, and the camp was
astir. Addie Knighton, still half-dazed with sleep, was led firmly by
Gertrude Oliver to the edge of the lake and forced to wash her face.

"You'll thank me when you're really awake," purred Gertie, ignoring her
victim's protests. "It's only what I promised you faithfully last night.
You told me to duck you in, if nothing else would do it."

"Oh, I'm awake now! I am truly. You needn't be afraid I'll go back to
bed," bleated Addie, afraid her friend might proceed to extremities.
"Hadn't you better haul up Alice next?"

"I left Chrissie doing that. She's going round the tents with a wet
sponge. Look! Isn't that worth getting up to see?"

The grey of the sky had flushed into carnation pink, and up from behind
the wall of the mountains rose the great ball of the sun, red at first
through a veil of mist, but shining out golden as he cleared the
cloud-bank. Everything was waking up. A peewit called by the water's
edge, a cock crew from the farm-yard, and a dog barked lustily.

"Our thief of the night complaining of an attack of indigestion, I
hope," said Ulyth, joining Addie and Gertie at the lake-side. "How much
can a dog eat with