"Then they'd have been impaled, one on each horn, and serve them right for tempting Providence. Look at the dust the creature's raising in the road!" All the party were in consternation. Miss Aubrey, who felt the responsibility of her charge, and moreover had a natural fear of bulls, for once almost lost her presence of mind. "What are we to do? It would be madness to try and ride past it. I suppose we shall have to turn back home," she fluttered. "Can't we call for help? Halloo!" shouted some of the girls. "There's nobody about." "I see a hat in that field!" "It's only a scarecrow!" Then Githa, who had been standing silently by her bicycle, suddenly assumed direction of the situation. "Stop shouting! You'll excite the bull!" she commanded. "Now let us stack our machines in the ditch, and climb over this fence into the field. Come along, quick! This way!" It seemed such excellent advice that even Miss Aubrey obeyed quite meekly. Leaving their bicycles below, they all scrambled hastily up the bank and over some hurdles into a field. "We're safe, but we shall lose our train!" lamented Gladwin Riley. "Not a bit of it! We'll turn up in time at the station, you'll see!" replied Githa. "Just leave it to me!" She broke a stick from the hedge, picked up several large stones, and then ran along the meadow for some distance and climbed another fence. All at once the girls realized her intention. She was descending into the road in the rear of the bull. "Stop her! Stop her!" shrieked Miss Aubrey. By that time, however, Githa was half-way down the bank. Before the bull had time to realize her presence and turn round, she began a vigorous onslaught with stones upon his hind quarters, shouting at the pitch of her lungs. Her sudden attack had exactly the effect she hoped. The bull, enraged by the noise and the stones, rushed blindly forward along the road, passing the bicycles without notice, and stampeding in the direction of Heathwell. "Someone will stop him before he gets into the village," murmured Miss Aubrey at the top of the bank. The brave little Toadstool received an ovation as the rest of the party climbed down from the post of vantage. She took her honours ungraciously. "What's the use of making a fuss? Anyone with two grains of sense would have thought of it. For goodness' sake, let me get on my machine! We haven't overmuch time, and we don't want to miss our train standing palavering." "How just exactly like Githa Hamilton!" commented Hilda Smart, as the girls resumed their interrupted ride.