Grace clutched Mollie, and Amy made an equally effective seizure of Betty. The two girls whose nerves were under better control than those of their two chums stood their ground—if not sturdily, at least with the appearance of it. They stared at the man, for want of something better to do, as Mollie afterward admitted. And the man found their gaze a bit disconcerting, it was evident, for he shifted uneasily, first on one big-booted foot, and then on the other.
"Well, be you goin' t' git?" he finally asked. "I tell you this is private land, and Mr. Jallow don't allow nobody on it 'ceptin' them he hires."
This gave Mollie an opening.
"Oh, is this Mr. Jallow's land?" she asked, and her chums wondered at the sweetness of her tones.
"It be," the burly guard replied, "an' you'd better git off."
The dog growled, and looked up inquiringly at his master as though asking for orders.
"We—we know Mr. Jallow," went on Mollie. Then nudging Grace, she whispered: "Say something; can't you? This must be the piece your father is having trouble about. Say something."
"I—I don't know what to say," faltered Grace. "Oh, let's get away from here! That dog——"
The animal growled, as though resenting the tone in which Grace talked about him.
"Do come," urged Amy. "I'm all in a tremble. The woods are big enough without getting on this disputed land."