y shout. She laughed and laughed
until her companions, taking fresh courage, ran out, demanding to know
what was so funny. Tommy declared that she would give almost anything
to be able to laugh that way at that particular moment. Neither did
Miss Elting understand the meaning of this sudden merriment, but she
knew that Harriet had discovered something.

Janus regarded the girl frowningly, all the time keeping one eye on the
faintly outlined figure out by the tote-trail.

"Laugh, consarn it!" Mr. Grubb growled, beginning to feel that, in some
way, he had made a shining mark of himself, rather than appearing in
the role of a hero who had valiantly defended his party of young women.

"What is it, dear?" asked the guardian.

"Don't you know what that is?" queried Harriet.

"No. It looks to me like a man leaning against something," answered
Miss Elting.

"Yes, yes," interposed the guide. "When I first shot at it it was
standing straight up, then it tilted over against the rocks, and there
it is. You get back. I'll go over. If he shoots, you won't be in any
danger."

"Oh, nonsense!" exploded Harriet. "Put your pistol down. Don't you
dare to point it toward me. I'll lay your intruder."

The girl ran forward, unheeding the warning cries of her companions.
She ran straight to the object that, in the uncertain light, so closely
resembled a human figure. The girls were begging Harriet to come back.
Instead she boldly grasped the object with both hands, and threw it
across the trail. A chorus of "Ohs!" greeted this performance. Janus
lowered his weapon, his under jaw dropped. He followed Miss Elting,
while the girls followed them both at a safe distance, Tommy and
Margery ready to take flight at the slightest indication of danger.

"Here he is, Mr. Grubb," cried Harriet.

"Harriet, what is it?" demanded Miss Elting.

"Just a plain, rotting old tree trunk," returned the girl.

"But--but it wasn't there before," stammered the guide.

Again Harriet laughed. Her companions gazed at her admiringly. None,
unless it were Jane McCarthy, would have had the courage to go out
there as Harriet Burrell had done. They told her so, too, at which
Harriet laughed again.

"Let me tell you something," said Harriet. "I'm not a bit braver than
you are. As it happened, I knew what that was the instant I saw it.
The tree trunk was not standing there when we came into camp last
night. Had it been, Mr. Grubb would have