and desolation surrounded them on all sides. Trees had been blown down
in many instances, and everywhere were signs of a tempest such as none
of these lads had even known in all their lives.

Paul managed to find the scoutmaster after a bit.

"Looks like a bad job, sir!" he shouted in Mr. Gordon's ear.

"It certainly does, Paul," came the reply, also in a loud tone; "but
bad as this seems I'm afraid from the signs that we'll get even worse
before morning!"

"What ought we do then?" asked Paul, his anxiety aroused once more by
these words.

"We ought to get out of this as soon as we can. Those trees up there
look as if they might fall down on us any time," replied Mr. Gordon
quickly.

"But where can we go, sir," cried Paul. "I've heard lots of trees go
over, down the side of the mountain. Besides, there's no shelter there
for us."

"We will have to make our way along the side of the mountain up here,"
answered Mr. Gordon, "and trust to luck to run across one of those caves
you were speaking about. Shelter we must find as soon as possible. It
would be hard on some of the boys to remain exposed to this wind and
pouring rain all the night."

"Shall I try to get them together, sir?" asked the patrol leader.

"Yes, round them up near the mess tent, Paul."

They separated, and began to grope around, for it was fearfully dark,
save when a flash of lightning came to show the terrors surrounding
them. Paul, as soon as he came upon a cowering figure, shouted the
directions of the scoutmaster in his ear, and then went on.

He was himself more awed than he would care to admit by the nature of
this awful storm. Nothing in all his limited experience had ever
approached it in violence.

"Oh! that lucky Slavin crowd, to get home before this came along!"
shouted envious William, when Paul came upon him trying to crawl under a
rock that offered a little shelter from the fury of the blast.

When he could find no more boys to summon, Paul himself made his way
toward the fallen mess tent. Here he found about a score of excited boys
clustered, trying to bolster up each others' spirits by making out that
they were not a bit afraid.

"Are all here?" Mr. Gordon first of all demanded, in such a way that
every fellow was able to hear what he said.

Paul started to count, pulling each scout behind him. A flash from above
was of considerable assistance to him in carrying out his plan.

"Not one missing but Nuthin, sir!" he announ