CHAPTER I

OUT IN THE STORM

"Jack, it looks as if we were in for another storm."

"Yes, and it's starting right now," declared Captain Jack Rover, as he
glanced through the trees to the overcast sky. "Don't you hear it on the
leaves?"

"It does beat everything!" declared Andy Rover, his usually bright face
clouding a bit. "It has rained enough in the past two weeks to last a
year."

"Do you know, I like these constant rains less than I liked being
snowbound up at Cedar Lodge," put in Lieutenant Fred Rover.

"Oh, there was some fun in being snowbound," declared Randy Rover. "A
fellow could go out in it and have the best time ever. But what can a
chap do when the rain is coming down to beat the band?"

"Well, you can go out and get a shower-bath free of charge," commented
his twin gaily.

"I'll take my showers in the gym," was the quick reply. "Gee! listen to
that, will you?"

There was no need for any of the four Rover boys to listen, or to look,
either. A blinding flash of lightning had swept the sky, followed almost
immediately by a crash of thunder in the woods behind them. Then
followed another crash, as of falling timber.

"It struck a tree, I'll bet a new cap!" exclaimed Jack.

"Yes, and it was a little bit too close for comfort, too," answered his
cousin Fred.

The thunder and lightning were followed by a sudden rush of wind which
caused the trees of the forest to sway violently. Then the downfall of
rain increased until it was little short of a deluge.

"We've got to get to some sort of shelter!" cried Jack. "And the sooner
we get there the better. If we stay under the trees we'll be soaked to
the skin."

"It's all right enough to talk about shelter," returned Randy quickly;
"but where are you going to find it? I don't know of even a log shack in
this vicinity."

"We might leg it down to the river," suggested his brother. "We can't be
very far from Rocky Bend."

"That's the talk!" burst out Fred Rover. "There is a cliff at the Bend,
and I remember there is a hollow under it which the river washed out
years ago."

"The trouble is you may find that hollow filled with water now, Fred,"
answered Jack. "Remember the heavy rains of the last few weeks have
caused something of a freshet. Even down at our boathouse the water is
unusually high."

Another streak of lightning followed by more thunder interrupted the
conversation. Then the wind seemed to veer around, and the rain came
swi