She did not hear Katy's response. A jack rabbit, frightened by the approaching horses, broke cover from some wild blackberry bushes that grew over the stone wall, and dashed across the road directly in front of Caliph. The spirited beast shied violently, then leaped forward, throwing Chicken Little neatly off into the exact middle of the dusty lane. Her pride was more hurt than she was. She tried to stop him by calling "Whoa" lustily. But Caliph seemed to have a pressing engagement elsewhere. He quickly disappeared around a bend in the lane. The girls looked at each other in dismay. Chicken Little got hastily to her feet. There was no time to nurse bruises. She must catch Caliph somehow. "Golly, he's got that beautiful Mexican saddle on and he may take a notion to roll. I knew I hadn't any business to take it, but I wanted to ride him just as Ernest does." Katy and Gertie noticed the "Golly," but there seemed to be more important business on hand. "Do you suppose you could take Calico and catch him?" asked Katy anxiously. "I don't know, but I guess I'll have to try." Katy and Gertie climbed down and Chicken Little swung herself up. "Maybe one of you'd better come, too, to hold Calico and ride him home if I catch Caliph." "I'll come, and Gertie had better run and change her clothes and go back to the orchard to give the boys their lunch, if they come before we get back. Don't tell them where we're gone." "Nor about Caliph, Gertie, you can say we'll be back in a minute." Katy had mounted behind Jane while she was giving this last direction and poor Calico started off at a gallop. They crossed the creek and came to the place where the road forked just beyond the timber without seeing hide or hair of Caliph. "He must have streaked it. I don't think he'd take the road to town--he must have gone straight home to the Captain's. Oh, dear, I'll have to tell him I used Ernest's horse without permission, and I've got these awful clothes on! It just seems as if the Captain has to know every single bad thing I ever do." Chicken Little heaved a long sigh and clucked to Calico. They had almost reached the Captain's gate when they saw Wing Fan approaching on horseback, leading the truant Caliph. Chicken Little was immensely relieved to find, as they came near, that neither saddle nor bridle had suffered from the run away. Wing Fan was also greatly relieved to find that no one had been hurt. "Me velly 'fraid honorable brother have bad fall. Captain Clarke no home. I bring horse, find out." Wing held Caliph while Jane mounted, and rode a little way with her to make sure he would not be fractious, but Caliph seemed to have had his fling and bowled along smoothly. In the meantime Ernest and Sherm had arrived and were plying Gertie with questions between mouthfuls. Gertie parried as long as she could, shutting her lips together tight when they began to press her too hard.