As they reached the end of the avenue, Jemima raced into the mist. “Wait, Jemima! We shouldn’t go on the moors!” Mary cried.

CRACK!

There was a shrill howl, and Mary’s heart skipped a beat. She ran toward the noise and saw Jemima had her leg caught in a horrible metal trap—the type poachers used to catch rabbits and hares.

“No!” gasped Mary.

Jemima’s yelps of pain stabbed through Mary like a knife. The metal jaws of the trap were crushing the poor dog’s leg, and her eyes looked wild. As Mary crouched down, Jemima snapped at her, mad with pain. Mary jumped back in alarm.

Jemima struggled, hurting her leg even more as she did so.

“No, don’t, please don’t!” Mary begged, tears welling in her eyes.

She knelt down again but more slowly this time. She murmured soothingly, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “It’s all right, Jemima. I’m going to help you. I promise. Please let me.”

The dog stopped struggling, standing still now, but shivering in pain. Her dark eyes looked pleadingly up at Mary.

“That’s it,” Mary said cautiously. “Stay still.”

Her eyes darted over Jemima’s horribly wounded leg. The blood made her feel queasy, but she had to help. Swallowing hard, she leaned forward and took hold of the jaws of the trap. Using all her strength, she forced them apart, loosening their grip on Jemima’s leg. With a yelp, the dog pulled her leg free.

As she did so, the jaws of the trap sprang back together. Mary let go just in time. She gulped—her hand had almost gotten trapped—but she’d done it. She had freed Jemima!

Jemima was licking at her wound. She stood up, but she couldn’t put any weight on her damaged leg.

“Come here. Let me help you,” Mary said, but Jemima hobbled away from her. Mary ran after her, but although the dog could only use three legs, she could still move faster than Mary and seemed determined not to be caught. She raced through the grounds to the hole under the wall and disappeared.

I can’t leave her, Mary thought. She’s injured. She needs help.

She looked up at the ivy and at the tree growing next to the high wall, then she made a decision. Ignoring the twigs that scratched at her legs through her stockings and tore at her hands, she scrambled up into the tree and started to climb. Up and up she went, finding footholds for her feet and heaving herself until she reached the very top of the wall. With a final wriggle, she pulled herself onto it and straddled it as if she was riding a horse.