_

Another terrific explosion cut short what he was saying. The very
water under the rowboat seemed to shake, and the air presently was
filled with flying missiles dropping all around them. Then, as Andy
stood up in an endeavor to get a better view of the situation,
something came flying through the air, hit him on the shoulder, and
hurled him overboard!

CHAPTER IV

A RESCUE ON THE LAKE

"Andy's overboard!"

"Grab him, somebody!"

"Wow! what is this anyway--a bombardment?"

Such were the cries coming from the three Rovers when they saw the
luckless Andy lose his balance and go over into the lake with a
splash.

"It's fire coming down! We've got to get out of this!" cried Fred, a
few seconds later.

The youngest of the Rovers was right. It was indeed a rain of fire
that had suddenly descended upon them through the pall of
yellowish-black smoke. It was falling into the boat and on their
persons. Where it struck the lake it sent out a curious hissing sound.

"Come--let us get Andy aboard again and row out of this as quickly as
possible!" gasped Jack.

Andy had disappeared from view, but only for a few seconds. He came
up, thrashing around wildly, for he had been almost stunned by the
thing which had struck him, a block of wood carried up from the
ammunition plant by one of the explosions.

"Steady, Andy, steady! We'll save you!" called out his twin, and as
Fred and Jack sent the rowboat in the luckless one's direction, Randy
bent over and grabbed his brother by the hand. Then, taking care that
the craft should not tip over, Fred and Randy pulled Andy aboard.

"Are you much hurt?" questioned Randy anxiously.

"I--I don't know," was the gasped-out reply. "I--I don't think so,
though. What did you slam me in the back for?" Andy demanded of Jack,
who had been behind him.

"I didn't hit you. It was a block of wood which came sailing over from
the ammunition factory," was the quick reply. "Come on--we've got to
get out of here, or the first thing you know we'll be on fire."

"Better wet your clothing," said Andy. "It may help a whole lot."

This was good advice, and the others lost no time in filling their
baseball caps with water, which they sprinkled over their shoulders
and the other portions of their baseball outfits. They also wet down
the bow and stern seats of the rowboat. Then they grabbed up their
oars and commenced to row up the lake, trying to get out of the range
of both the fire and