could see where the big tree had been uprooted,
leaving a hole in the soil fifteen feet in diameter. The top of the tree
was all of a hundred feet away from this hole.

"We were lucky to be between the rocks, Phil," said Dave, with a grave
shake of his head. "Otherwise, if that tree had come down on us----"

"We wouldn't be here to tell the tale," finished the shipowner's son.
"Ugh! it makes me shiver to look at it."

"Now it is down, we may as well get between the rocks until we are sure
this blow is over," went on Dave, after standing several minutes in the
rain.

This appeared the best thing to do, and they crawled back into the
crevice and partly under the tree. Here the thick branches protected the
lads, so that but little rain reached them.

A dismal hour went by, and then the storm came to an end. The wind died
down into a gentle breeze and the rain was reduced to a few scattering
drops, to which they paid no attention.

"If only that wind didn't blow the shack down on the other folks'
heads," said Dave. He was thinking of how frightened the girls, and
especially Jessie, must have been.

"I'll wager the trail is now a mass of mud and water," said Phil, and he
was right, and as they progressed, they frequently got into the mud up
to their ankles.

It was eleven o'clock when they gained the edge of the woods and came
out on the plains. The sky was still overcast, only a few stars being
faintly visible.

"Are you sure of the right direction, Dave?" asked the shipowner's son,
as both paused to look around.

"I think this is the trail, Phil, don't you?" and Dave pointed with his
finger to a deep rut in the soil.

"Yes. But that doesn't make it right," and Phil gazed around in some
perplexity.

"What do you mean? This is the only trail around here."

"So I see. But, somehow, this edge of the woods doesn't look familiar to
me. I thought we entered at a point where I saw a clump of four trees on
the left."

"Hum! I rather think I saw those trees myself," mused Dave. "But I don't
see them now."

"Neither do I, and that makes me think that perhaps we came out of the
woods at the wrong spot."

Much perplexed, the two lads walked around the edge of the woods for a
considerable distance. But they saw nothing of any other trail and so
came back to the point from which they had started.

"This must be right, after all," was Phil's comment. "Anyway, it's the
only trail here, so we may as well follow it."