Big Game - A Story for Girls

"Miss Vane, where are you?"

"I'm here!" replied a doleful voice, and a dark form stirred at his

feet. "I--fell! On a horrid bush! My hands are full of prickles."

"I'll light a match while you get them out. It's my fault. I might

have guessed what would happen. I'd like to kick myself for being so

thoughtless."

"Please don't! We don't want any more tribulations. I--I'm quite all

right!" cried Margot, with tremulous bravery. The flicker of a match

showed a pale face, and two little hands grimed with dust and earth.

She brushed them hastily together, and peered up into his face. "It's

pretty thick, isn't it?"

"Abominably thick! I have heard of the sudden way in which these

mountain mists come on, but I've never been in one before. I could kick

myself once more for not having noticed it sooner. I suppose I was too

much absorbed in our conversation."

The match died out, and there was a moment's silence, in which Margot

seemed to hear the beating of her own heart. Then in the darkness a

hand lifted hers, and placed it against an arm which felt reassuringly

solid.

"You must let me help you along. A moor is not the easiest place in the

world to cross in the dark. You won't mind my shouts? I want to let

the other fellows know where we are, if they are within hearing."

"Oh, I don't mind. I'll shout, too! They must be near. It seems

ridiculous that we can't see each other."

But still no answering cry came back, and Margot's sense of comfort in

the supporting arm gradually gave place to a revival of her first dread.

She shivered, and swallowed a lump in her throat before daring a

fateful question.

"Mr Elgood, do you know--have you the faintest idea where we are

going?"

His arm tightened over her hand, but he made no attempt at

prevarication.

"No, I haven't! For the last five or ten minutes it has been purely

guess-work."

"We may be going in the wrong direction, or round and round in a

circle!"

"We may--I am afraid it is more than probable. I have been thinking

that it might be better to stay where we are. We can't have strayed

very far out of the course as yet, but--" Again he stopped, and this

time Margot completed the sentence.

"I know! It's not safe to wander about when we can't see what is ahead.

I've been thinking the same thing. We had better sit down and wait.

They will come to look for us. I'm sure they will come, and there's a

cottage somewhere near, where we have been for milk. That's another

chance. If we keep calling the people, they may hear us."