iled Nora Wingate. "Where is he?"

"He went out when we heard you shoot," Elfreda informed Grace. "Did he
miss you?"

"I have not seen Hippy since I left this camp. He must have got lost,"
replied Grace. "Elfreda, fire three interval shots with your rifle to
guide him in."

Miss Briggs did so, and all listened for an answer, but none came.
Acting on Grace's suggestion, Elfreda fired further signal shots, and
still no reply from Lieutenant Wingate.

Grace, finally becoming disturbed at Hippy's long absence, announced her
intention of going out to look for him, and was giving her companions
directions about signaling her when Hippy Wingate came strolling into
camp, his clothing torn and his face scratched from contact with brier
bushes. "Hulloa, folks," he greeted, grinning sheepishly.

"My darlin', my darlin', are you hurt?" cried Nora, hurrying to him
solicitously.

"No. I got lost and just found myself. Where do you suppose I was? Why
less than ten rods from this camp all the time. Never saw such a country
for mixing a fellow up. Confound the whole business. If my property is
in such a mess as this I'll set the lazy mountaineers at work clearing
it up before I'll set foot on it. Hey! What hit you, Brown Eyes?"

"A bullet."

"I heard it. I mean I heard the shot, and, like the hero I am, I ran to
the rescue, but got all tangled up," explained Hippy.

"Didn't you hear our shots?" demanded Anne.

"I heard 'em, but I was too busy untangling myself to answer. I thought
the shots sounded off the other way and got deeper into the mess trying
to find the camp."

"You are a fine woodsman," rebuked Elfreda.

"Yes, and you wouldn't be here yet had it not been for me," declared
Emma Dean.

"How's that?" demanded Hippy.

"Well, you see, when we found that you did not come back and we surmised
that you were lost, I just sat down and con-centrated. Then you came
back, just like the cat did in the old story."

"Where did you get that piffle?" chortled Hippy when his laughter had
subsided.

"From a professor who visited our town last winter. He said that, by
con-centrating, one could bring anything to pass that he
wished--provided he con-centrated intently enough and long enough. Why,
he said that a person, by con-centrating properly, could move a house if
he wished."

The Overlanders shouted.

"You'd better see a doctor," advised Hippy. "Brown Eyes, you haven't
told me what happened to you. Who shot you?"

"I