"Carley, you crawl in here, pile the blankets up, and the tarp over
them," directed Glenn. "If it rains pull the tarp up over your head--and
let it rain."
This direction sounded in Glenn's cheery voice a good deal more
pleasurable than the possibilities suggested. Surely that cedar tree
could not keep off rain or snow.
"Glenn, how about--about animals--and crawling things, you know?"
queried Carley.
"Oh, there are a few tarantulas and centipedes, and sometimes a
scorpion. But these don't crawl around much at night. The only thing to
worry about are the hydrophobia skunks."
"What on earth are they?" asked Carley, quite aghast.
"Skunks are polecats, you know," replied Glenn, cheerfully. "Sometimes
one gets bitten by a coyote that has rabies, and then he's a dangerous
customer. He has no fear and he may run across you and bite you in the
face. Queer how they generally bite your nose. Two men have been bitten
since I've been here. One of them died, and the other had to go to the
Pasteur Institute with a well-developed case of hydrophobia."
"Good heavens!" cried Carley, horrified.
"You needn't be afraid," said Glenn. "I'll tie one of the dogs near your
bed."
Carley wondered whether Glenn's casual, easy tone had been adopted for
her benefit or was merely an assimilation from this Western life. Not
improbably Glenn himself might be capable of playing a trick on her.
Carley endeavored to fortify herself against disaster, so that when it
befell she might not be wholly ludicrous.
With the coming of twilight a cold, keen wind moaned through the cedars.
Carley would have hovered close to the fire even if she had not been
too tired to exert herself. Despite her aches, she did justice to
the supper. It amazed her that appetite consumed her to the extent of
overcoming a distaste for this strong, coarse cooking. Before the meal
ended darkness had fallen, a windy raw darkness that enveloped heavily
like a blanket. Presently Carley edged closer to the fire, and there
she stayed, alternately turning back and front to the welcome heat. She
seemingly roasted hands, face, and knees while her back froze. The wind
blew the smoke in all directions. When she groped around with blurred,
smarting eyes to escape the hot smoke, it followed her. The other
members of the party sat comfortably on sacks or rocks, without much
notice of the smoke that so exasperated Carley. Twice Glenn insisted
that she take a seat he had fixed for her, but she preferred to stand
and move around a little.