condition, so decided
not to give up the wagon. "The man that lived there pulled too
many radishes and parsnips and carrots and such things into it,
and then neglected to hoe his roof and fill up the holes," said
Jack. "Besides, Old Blacky will have it rubbed down before
morning. 'When I sleep in anything that Old Blacky can get at, I
want it to be on wheels so it can roll out of the way."

We went to bed as usual, but at about one o'clock we were
awakened by a long rolling peal of thunder. Already big drops of
rain were beginning to fall. Ollie and I looked out, and found
Jack creeping from under the wagon.

"That's a dry-weather bedroom of mine," he observed, "and I
think I'll come up-stairs."

The flashes of lightning followed each other rapidly, and by
them we could see the horses. Old Browny was sleeping and Old
Blacky eating, but the pony stood with head erect, very much
interested in the storm. Jack helped Snoozer into the wagon, and
came in himself. We drew both ends of the cover as close as
possible, lit the lantern, and made ourselves comfortable, while
Jack took down his banjo and tried to play. Jack always tried to
play, but never quite succeeded. But he made a considerable
noise, and that was better than nothing.

The wind soon began to blow pretty fresh, and shake the cover
rather more than was pleasant. But. nothing gave way, and after,
as it seemed, fifty of the loudest claps of thunder we had ever
heard, the rain began to fall in torrents.

"That is what I've been waiting for," said Jack. "Now we'll
see if there's a good cover on this wagon, or if we've got to put
a sod roof on it, like that man's house."

The rain kept coming down harder and harder, but though there
seemed to be a sort of a light spray in the air of the wagon, the
water did not beat through. In some places along the bows it ran
down on the inside of the cover in little clinging streams, but
as a household we remained dry. Jack was still experimenting on
the banjo, and the dog had gone to sleep. Suddenly a flash of
lightning dazzled our eyes as if there were no cover at all over
and around us, with a crash of thunder which struck our ears like
a blow from a fist. Jack dropped the banjo, and the dog shook his
head as if his ears tingled. We all felt dizzy, and the wagon
seemed to be swaying around.

[Illustration: Investigations]

"That struck pretty close," I said. "I hope it didn't hit one
of the horses