“Here! Trace our day’s route with the pencil,” she said. “This should be Harmon’s Valley. That being the case, the village of Harmon should be not more than a mile farther on.”
“There is no village anywhere near us, according to the route we have traveled since this morning,” answered Harriet.
“Oh, that can’t be possible,” exclaimed Miss Elting.
“Please look for yourself, Miss Elting,” Harriet replied earnestly. “After leaving Granite Mountain we swung to the left as you will see by the line I have marked.”
“Hm-m-m,” murmured the guardian as she scanned the map.
“It looks to me very much as though we had taken the wrong valley,” said Harriet, as she paused in her scrutiny of the map to glance up at the hills that shut in the valley where they now were. “See! There isn’t a town marked on this map anywhere in this valley.”
“I believe you are right. In order to get to our stopping place for the night we shall have to cross those hills to the right. How far is it across?”
“Five miles,” answered Harriet, after making some brief measurements.
“Five mileth?” wailed Grace. “Oh, thave me!”
“Tommy, will you be quiet?” begged Margery. “You make me nervous. Miss Elting, you aren’t going on, to-night, are you? I simply can’t walk another mile. My feet are so numb that I can’t feel them.”
“I can feel mine. They are ath big ath elephantth,” declared Tommy.
“What do you say, girls? Shall we go on or make camp for the night?” questioned the guardian. “Remember, Jane McCarthy is no doubt waiting with her car for us over in the other valley. She will not know where to go if we do not get in touch with her to-night.”
Grace, Hazel and Margery begged Miss Elting to go no farther. They already had made ten miles that day, which they declared was quite enough.
“What do you say, Harriet?” asked Miss Elting.
“Of course I am a little footsore, but I could walk another ten miles if necessary. However, the other girls do not wish to go farther, so I vote with them to remain here for the night. But won’t Jane be puzzled where to go in the morning!”
“She will find us, my dear,” smiled the guardian.
“If you think best I will cross the ridge, after supper, and see if I can find her,” suggested Harriet Burrell.