"Get up, get up!" she cried imperatively, "the bull's coming!"
"I know!" he groaned. "Don't stop! I've twisted my bad knee! I'll hide in the ditch—the brute mayn't see me!"
As he spoke he rolled himself into a shallow ditch by the hedge. There was no time for Josephine to return to the gate; so she took refuge in the ditch too, and crouched beside the boy. Never in her life had she been so frightened before.
Would the bull see them? It seemed impossible that he would not. He was galloping along the road, bellowing loudly, evidently infuriated by the big sheep-dog who was trying to get ahead of him to turn him. With lowered head and fixed gaze he came on; but his fixed gaze was not on the terror-stricken occupants of the ditch, but on a little figure which stood right in the centre of the road in front of the five-barred gate, waving a white pocket-handkerchief. A moment more and he had passed by, whilst the little figure fled to the gateway and vanished. Another moment and the bull and dog had vanished too.
At this point in the proceedings two men, panting with running, appeared upon the scene, one being the bull's owner, Farmer Bond. Josephine scrambled out of the ditch, and ran with them to the gateway. The gate was closed, and safely imprisoned in the field beyond was the bull, guarded by the sheep-dog, who had ceased barking, whilst outside the gate, leaning against it for support and nearly in a state of collapse, stood May.
Josephine put her arms around her, hugging and kissing her, whereupon she burst into tears; she tried to check them when Donald, white and shaking, appeared upon the scene, anxiety on her account having made him impervious to pain for the time being.
The farmer whistled to his dog, who left the bull and came to him; then he looked at May and inquired—
"Was it you who opened the gate and let the bull into the field, missie?"
She nodded assent, but it was some minutes before she grew sufficiently composed to explain how she had managed. She had found the gate was not locked, arid as soon as she had realized Josephine and Donald's peril, had deliberately placed herself in the middle of the road and attracted the bull's attention. That done she had opened the gate wide, and stood behind it whilst the sheep-dog had driven the bull into the field; then she had come into the road again, and closed the gate.
"Well, missie, all I can say is that you're a real plucky little maid!" Farmer Bond declared admiringly.