“I hope so. Please look after the horses. I will rout out the lieutenant and see what we can do to keep the tents down, especially the one occupied by General Gordon’s wife and companion.”
Grace ran back and called Hippy. The general heard the call and answered first.
“Heavy storm, sir,” Grace informed him. “Hippy, please hurry out. I need you.”
“Wha—at is it? Is Jerry coming?” answered Hippy Wingate sleepily.
The general laughed.
“It is bad, isn’t it? What do you wish me to do, Mrs. Gray?” he asked.
“We must try to hold down Mrs. Gordon’s tent, but I fear we shall lose some of our canvas.”
“There goes one already!” cried the general, as the tent he and Lieutenant Wingate had occupied puffed out like a balloon and disappeared in the darkness. The lieutenant made no effort to recover it, but ran calling to Grace to know where she was.
“Sit on the stakes. Hold the guests’ tent down at all hazards,” she cried.
Elfreda had taken charge of the tent occupied by the Overland girls, and was hurrying her companions with their dressing. They had barely finished dressing, when the tent pulled its stakes and toppled over.