“Help is coming, girls,” she cried in an encouraging voice.  “Keep up your courage.”

“H-a-r-r-i-e-t?” wailed a voice.  “Are you there?”

“Yes, Jane.”

Then she heard the voices of Hazel and Margery.  The latter two were half crazed with fear for Harriet.  The next time Jane cried out she was nearer to the imprisoned girls.

“Call to me, darlin’, so that I may know where you are,” she shouted.

“We are right in the middle of the heap under the tent,” answered Harriet.  “None of us is hurt.  Is any one else hurt?”

“One girl was badly bruised.  But oh, this is too bad.  I’m coming.  No, I can’t get any closer.  What shall I do?” wailed Jane.

“Get something to cut away this canvas as soon as you can get to it.  We are smothering,” returned Harriet.

“Jasper is going to cut the limbs of the tree away,” answered Jane.

“No, no, no!” shouted Harriet.  “He must not do that He will have the trunk down on us and then we shall all be crushed.  Have him try to reach us by cutting away only the smaller branches of the tree, but don’t let him cut off any of the larger limbs.  Tell him to hurry for we shall soon smother in here.  Watch him, Jane, to see that he doesn’t do anything to increase our danger.”

“I’ll watch him, my darling” returned Jane.  “Oh, what a mess!  What a mess!”

Mrs. Livingston had caused the general alarm to be sounded, guardians being ordered to have every available lamp in the camp lighted and brought to the scene.  Jane’s, however, was the commanding force.  Carrying a lantern she took the directing of the rescue into her own hands, ordering Jasper and the girls much as her father in other days had bossed gangs of men.

First of all the canvas of the tent was cut near to where the four girls lay.  Then at Jane’s suggestion the smaller branches of the tree were carefully cut away about them to give room for the work of assisting the four girls from their perilous position.  By this time Jane and Harriet were exchanging humorous little remarks, keeping up a running fire of comment and trying to make light of their dangerous predicament.  Cora and Tommy were trembling so that when they did speak, their words were scarcely intelligible to the girl who was coming to their rescue.  Patricia, however, was silent.

“That’s enough, Jasper,” commanded Jane at last.  “Now hold the lantern.”

All at once there was an ominous creaking and snapping directly above where they lay.

“I’m being crushed!” screamed Cora.

Harriet had heard the sound.  She knew the meaning of it, too.  Some part of the tree was settling over the cots as the result of Jasper’s efforts to reach the imprisoned girls.  Harriet Burrell’s mind worked rapidly.  She turned as quickly as she was able until she lay at right angles to the cots and wholly beneath them with her head inward, her feet toward the spot where Jasper and Jane were working feverishly to reach the girls.