istance back, in a sheltering clump of trees, and they hoped the
animals would be safe.

The guide found a place where they could leave the trail, though going
down a dangerous slope, and take to the forest. As carefully as
possible they descended this, the rain continuing to fall, the wind to
blow, the lightning to sizzle all about them and the thunder to boom in
their ears.

They went on until they were beneath the shelter of the thick jungle
growth of trees, which kept off some of the pelting drops.

"This is better!" exclaimed Ned, shaking his poncho and getting rid of
some of the water that had settled on it.

"Bless my overcoat!" cried Mr. Damon. "We seem to have gotten out of
the frying pan into the fire!"

"How?" asked Tom. "We are partly sheltered here, though had we stayed
in the cave in spite of----"

A deafening crash interrupted him, and following the flash one of the
giant trees of the forest was seen to blaze up and then topple over.

"Struck by lightning!" yelled Ned.

"Yes; and it may happen to us!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "We were safer
from the lightning in the open. Maybe----"

Again came an interruption, but this time a different one. The very
ground beneath their feet seemed to be shaking and trembling.

"What is it?" gasped Ned, while Goosal fell on his knees and began
fervently to pray.

"It's an earthquake!" yelled Tom Swift.

As he spoke there came another sound--the sound of a mass of earth in
motion. It came from the direction of the mountain trail they had just
left. They looked toward it and their horror-stricken eyes saw the
whole side of the mountain sliding down.

Slowly at first the earth slid down, but constantly gathering force and
speed. In the face of this new disaster the rain seemed to have ceased
and the thunder and lightning to be less severe. It was as though one
force of nature gave way to the other.

"Look! Look!" gasped Ned.

In silence, which was broken now only by a low and ominous rumble, more
menacing than had been the awful fury of the elements, the travelers
looked.

Suddenly there was a quicker movement of seemingly one whole section of
the mountain. Great rocks and trees, carried down by the appalling
force of the landslide were slipping over the trail, obliterating it as
though it had never existed.

"There goes the entrance to the cavern!" cried Ned, and as the others
looked to where he pointed they saw the hole in the side of the
mou