"Pull yourself together and tell us what happened to you," directed Grace as Lieutenant Wingate led the trembling lad up to them. "He got me, he did." "Who got you?" interjected Miss Briggs. "Ah doan know. He kotched me an' Ah yelled--" "He yelled? How unusual," muttered Emma. "Den--den he put er hand ovah ma mouth an' gib me er clip on de haid," continued Washington excitedly. "Ah doan knows nothin' moah till Ah wakes up. Dey was talkin' 'bout dat time." "Who was talking?" interrupted Hippy. "Dis heah niggah doan know nothin' 'bout dat. Dey was talkin', an' den Ah jest jumps up--an' den Ah jumps up an runs away." "How did you find your way here?" asked Anne. "That is what I have been wondering," nodded Grace. "Ah didn'. A feller kotched me when Ah runned, an' held mah mouf shut so Ah couldn't holler. Den he-all fotched me heah. Den he gib me er kick an' says, 'Gwine on, yuh lazy niggah, but look out fer de guns. Dem folks kin shoot.' Dat's why Ah hollered when Ah kim inter de camp," finished Washington. "Did you recognize any of the men who took you away from here?" questioned Miss Briggs. Washington shook his curly head. "Did you know the man who brought you back?" asked Grace. "Ah did not. Who yuh reckons he was?" "That is what we are trying to find out," Hippy informed him. "Would you know the man were you to see him again?" "Ah didn' see him nohow. Ah felt him, Ah did, an' Ah feels him yit, Ah does." "No need to question him," laughed Grace. "His militant friend was rather violent, it appears. Washington, get your blanket and lie down here near the tents. The camp is being guarded and you will be perfectly safe. The others had better turn in also, and get what rest they can. It now lacks only about two hours to daylight, and we shall be able to make an early start, now that Washington is here." "Yes, he's here, but he would not be here if I had not con-centrated on him," spoke up Emma Dean. "For the love of goodness, drop that piffle!" begged Hippy wearily. "We have enough serious matters on hand to think about without having to listen to prattle. Laundry, did you know that Miss Dean had been 'con-centrating' on you?" "What dat? Er hoodoo?" "Yes, that is what Miss Dean is trying to put on you," laughed Hippy. "You listen to me, Wash!" demanded Emma spiritedly. "When I was con-centrating on you, making my mind reach out to yours, didn't your hair seem to stand on end just the way a cat's hair does when you stroke it the wrong way--" "Yes'm! Mah hair stood up all right when dey kotched me," admitted Washington. "And didn't you feel a distinct electric shock all over your being?" "Just like as if you had run into an electric light pole?" interjected Hippy. "No, suh. Didn' feel no shock, 'cept when dat feller kicked me. Ah felt dat all right an' Ah feels it yit."