ere they're feeling pretty damp ground
this time. Still Tony is a shrewd fellow, and may have discovered some
sort of shelter before the downpour came."

"I hope so," Horace went on to say, for he was not at all cruel by
disposition; "because I wouldn't want a dog to be out in this blow,
much less boys I've known all my life, even if they have been an ugly
lot."

There was a short interval of violent downpour. Then all at once the
storm again slackened, and soon the rain ceased.

Horace had been whispering to Tom, and the pair of them now started to
crawl out from under the shelter.

"Where are you going, Tom?" asked Josh, wondering what the strange move
meant.

"Just mean to take a little walk over here," was the reply; "we'll be
back in a few minutes. Horace is curious to see if it was the big oak
that was struck."

"I'll go along, if you don't object," said the always ready Josh.

"Me too," called out a second scout.

Accordingly several of them followed Tom and Horace out from under the
ledges. There were at least six in the group that hurried along toward
the spot where the splendid oak had been noticed an hour before.

They were compelled to pick their way along, for little streams of
water flowed in almost every direction; besides, the trees were
shedding miniature Niagaras that would be very unpleasant if received
in the back of the neck by any one passing underneath.

In this fashion they neared the place. Every boy was keenly on the
lookout.

"Why, I don't see anything at all of the tree, and yet it certainly
stood high above those smaller ones over there!" exclaimed Horace,
presently, with a curious little quiver of awe in his voice.

Ten seconds later they had advanced far enough to pass the barrier
formed by those lesser forest trees. Then the entire group of scouts
came to a sudden stop and simply stared. Horace even rubbed his eyes as
if he half believed he might be dreaming.

The big oak was gone!

Where it had stood they saw a shattered trunk not more than twenty feet
high. Upon the ground in every direction lay torn and twisted limbs and
smaller branches, just as they had been violently hurled when that
terrible electric bolt struck with such amazing force.

"Whew!" gasped Josh, "there's an object lesson for you, Horace!"

"It's the same for each one of us," added Tom, gravely; "and for every
scout who ever hears of it."

"Supposing we had taken refuge under that fine old oak," su