ering, and it was about as bad as it could be for
girls who were not at all used to even the slightest exposure.

Eleanor's face was very grave, and she looked exceedingly worried as
she crossed back and forth in front of the line of Camp Fire Girls,
lifting her own voice in shouts to the lost ones, and giving hints here
and there for the more important homeward journey.

The trip up the mountain produced no results. The rain was falling
more heavily, and, moreover, the wind was rising. It blew hard through
the trees and the silence of the woods that Eleanor had spoken of was a
thing of the past. The wind sighed and groaned, and Eleanor grew more
and more worried.

"We've got to search just as carefully as we can," she said. "We
mustn't leave any part of this ground uncovered. With all the noise
the wind is making, we might easily pass within a few feet of them and
shout at the top of our lungs without them hearing us. It is going to
be even harder to find them than I feared, but we have just got to do
the best we can."

At the top of the ridge of which she had spoken, Eleanor marshalled her
forces. She told them off two by two, and Bessie and Dolly were
assigned to work together.

"I'm going to cover the whole ground, and keep in touch with all of
you," she said. "Keep blowing your horns, there's more chance that
they will be heard. You all have your pocket compasses and plenty of
matches, haven't you? I don't want any of my own girls to be lost."

"All right," she said, when they had all answered. "Now I want each of
you to take a strip about six yards wide as we go down, and just walk
back and forth across it. If you come to any gullies or holes where
they might have fallen down be particularly careful. Light your
torches, and look into them. Don't pay attention to the paths or
trails, just cover the ground."

"Oh, I do hope we can find them!" said Bessie, as they started. "I'd
hate to think of their being out here all night on a night like this."

"Yes, and in a way it's really my fault," said Dolly, remorsefully.

"Why, Dolly, how can you think that?"

"It was because Gladys quarrelled with the rest of them that she went
out. And if I hadn't thrown those mice in at them there wouldn't have
been any quarrel. Don't you see?"

"I think it's silly to blame yourself, though, Dolly. She might have
gone out just the same, anyhow."

"Well, I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to the