"Nothing! Nothing at all. After I have had an opportunity to consult a dictionary perhaps I may make a few appropriate remarks." The party, with the exception of Emma, after a hearty laugh, fell to discussing the incidents of the evening, particularly the mysterious shot that, perhaps, had saved Lieutenant Wingate's life. They were still discussing that mysterious occurrence when they rode up to their camp. Washington Washington, who had been silent all the way home, perhaps thinking over the narrow escape that he had had from rough handling, suddenly set up a wail and began to chatter so fast that they were unable to make a single thing of what he was saying. "Stop that!" commanded Hippy. "Have you gone crazy?" "Something is wrong here, darlin'. Don't scold the boy," begged Nora Wingate. "The tents are down. Washington, build a fire. Be quick about it," directed Grace, leaping from her pony. Anne, who had reached what had been her own tent, uttered an exclamation of dismay. "Girls, this tent has been slit into ribbons!" she cried. "So has mine," cried Elfreda. "What has happened here?" "That is what I am wondering," replied Grace. "Washington, please hurry with that fire." Hippy ran over and assisted the colored boy, who was fumbling about and not accomplishing anything. In a few moments Hippy had a fire snapping. By its light they looked about in amazement. The camp was a wreck. Every tent in their outfit had been slit to pieces, tent poles had been broken up, and such other equipment as they had left out, including three blankets, which had been overlooked when they hid their belongings, had been practically destroyed. A sudden thought occurring to her, Anne ran on fleet feet to the place where their provisions and equipment had been secreted. She found the stones torn away from the opening and their supplies scattered about. The ground about the opening to the hiding place was littered with them. Her next move was to look for their rifles and ammunition. A moment later she ran breathlessly into camp. "The equipment has been scattered, but the rifles and ammunition are as we left them," panted Anne. "This is a fright." "There! Why didn't you 'con-centrate,' Emma Dean?" demanded Hippy. "Old Con-centration is never on the job when he is really needed." "How could I when I didn't know anything about this?" returned Emma, with a sweeping gesture that took in the entire camp. "What are we going to do now? Where are we to sleep, I ask you?" "Sleep standing up just as the ponies do, my darlin'," suggested Nora. "Who do you suppose could have done such a thing? Why--" Washington, who had gone out to tether the horses, set up a howl that called the Overlanders to him on a run. "Dey done got de mule! Dey done got de mule!" he wailed. "What Ah gwine do now? Ah doan like dis nohow. Ah sure gwine took er frenzy spell if dis doan stop right smart." "The mule?" gasped Anne. "Why--wha--"