Her face was scratched by the thorns, her clothes torn, and her hat had fallen off like that of the Captain, who had, by the way, in the flurry forgotten to replace his on his head, the venerable article remaining in a sadly battered condition where it had fallen. On being released, however, from her predicament, Nellie treated the matter much more lightly than might have been expected. She was a very courageous little girl now that she knew she was in safety. But she was also, it should be said, blest, too, with great amiability. "Oh, never mind the scratches," she replied, in answer to the Captain's inquiries. "I'm not at all hurt, thank you." "How about those wild animals?" asked the old sailor smiling, "eh, missy?" Nellie coloured up, but could not help laughing at the Captain's quizzical face, as he took up his hat gingerly and put it on. "I--I made a mistake," she stammered. "I was frightened!" At that moment, however, very opportunely, Master Rover, who had darted back into the thicket after reclaiming his young mistress, saved her all further explanation as to the unknown beasts that had caused her such alarm by appearing now in full pursuit of an unfortunate rabbit which, putting forth its best speed, escaped him in the very nick of time by diving into a hole on the other side of the knoll, contemptuously kicking up its heels as it did so, almost into his open mouth. The mystery of Nellie's disappearance was thus satisfactorily solved. She had fallen into an old rabbit-burrow. The harmless little creatures, whom she had imagined to be making desperate assaults on her legs and about to eat her up, too, were probably even more frightened than she was! "Oh--oh, that's one of those ferocious wild animals, little missy, eh?" chuckled the Captain. "I see, young lady." "Yes, but they frightened me," pleaded poor Nell. "They moved about under my feet, jumping up at me, I thought; and it was so dark down there that I didn't know what they might be. You would have been frightened too, I think, sir!" She added this little retort to her explanation with some considerable spirit, a bit nettled by the Captain's chaff. "Well, well, my dear, perhaps you are right," he replied good- humouredly. "I also have a confession to make, missy. Just before Rover cantered up, with you holding on to his tail like Mazeppa lashed to the back of the fiery untamed steed of the desert, a blackbird flew out of your blackberry thicket, brushing past my face, and do you know it startled me so that I jumped back, losing my hat. So, you see, I got a fright too!" "I see'd yer, sir," said Dick, the Captain looking round as if awaiting comment on his action. "I see'd yer done it!" "And so did I," cried Bob, the appearance of whose face had not been improved by his struggles with the thorny bushes as he tried to force his way through them to Nellie's rescue. "I saw you too!"