Bessie, however, was in no mood to enjoy a view.  She wasted no time in admiring it, but only peered over the edge of the peak on which she stood, to satisfy herself that Dolly was not hidden just below her.  One look was enough to do that.  There was a way, she soon saw, of descending, and reaching the woods again, but no man, carrying any sort of a burden, could have accomplished that descent.

It was a task that called for the use of feet and hands and Bessie turned desperately, convinced that she must, in some manner, have overlooked the place at which John had turned off the main trail with his burden.

Now, as she went downward, she searched the woods at each side with redoubled care, and at last she found what she had been looking for, or what, it seemed to her, must be the place, since she had seen no other that offered even a chance for a successful passage through the thick growth of trees and underbrush.

Without hesitation she turned off the trail, and, though the going was rough, and her hands and face were scratched, while her clothes were torn, she was rewarded at last by finding that the ground below her grew smooth, showing that human feet had passed that way often enough to wear the faintest sort of a path.

Once she became aware of the path her heart grew light, for she was sure now that she was going in the right direction at last.  And, indeed, it was not more than five minutes before she almost stumbled over Dolly herself, bound to a tree, and with a handkerchief stuffed in her mouth so that she could not cry out.

“Oh, Dolly!  I’m so glad, so glad!  Listen, dear; I can’t stay.  You’ll have to be here a little while longer, but we will soon have you back at the camp, as safe and well as ever.  Are you hurt?  Does it give you pain?  If it doesn’t shake your head sideways.”

Dolly managed to shake her head, and in her eyes Bessie saw that now that she knew help was near Dolly’s courage would sustain her.

“That gypsy girl we saw is near, but the man who carried you off is going to send another man to watch, and if I let you go now we’d only meet him, and be in more trouble than ever.  But be brave, dear! it won’t be long now.”

Poor Dolly could not answer, for Bessie, remembering that Lolla had seemed to fear the man Peter more than she did John, dared not even loosen the gag.  She saw, however, that while it must be making Dolly terribly uncomfortable, she could breathe, and that it was probably worse in appearance than in fact.  So she leaned down and kissed her chum, and whispered in her ear.

“I’m going back to Lolla now, dear, but I’ll soon be back with enough help so that we needn’t care how many of the gypsies there are near us.  If I stay now I’m afraid they’ll catch me, too, and then no one would know where you were.  They can’t get you away from here, so you’re sure to be safe soon.”