at least, heard her. Then she shouted to the others: "This way!
This way!"

"Wha-at wa-ay?" demanded Bess Harley. "I--I'm going
every-which-way, right now!"

But, in a very few minutes, it appeared that this sudden tempest
was nothing to make fun over. The four girls, keeping close
together, entered suddenly a gulch, the side of which broke the
velocity of the wind. They stood there, the four ponies huddled
together, in a whirl of dust and flying debris.

"Shout for him!" commanded Rhoda. "Don't cry, Grace. Walter is
quite smart enough to look out for himself."

"Don't be a baby, dear," Nan said, leaning forward to pat Grace's
arm. "He will be all right. And so shall we."

"But not standing here!" exclaimed Rhoda, after they had almost
split their throats, as Bess declared, shrieking for the missing
boy. "We must go farther up the gulch. I know a place--"

"There goes my hat!" wailed Bess.

"You'll probably never see it again," said Rhoda. "Come on! Maybe
Walter will find us."

"But he doesn't know this country as you do, Rhoda," objected Nan.

"He'll know what to do just the same," Rhoda said practically.