a trace of uneasiness, for the
prospect was not a very pleasant one, no matter how they looked at it.

"There's no use turning back," the leader explained, "because the nearest
house would be several miles away. I don't know just how it might be if
we kept along the road here. But there's that tollgate and shanty on the
other road; if we could only make that, we'd find shelter."

"Move we try," snapped Bristles, who was for action all the time, and
liked to settle questions as Alexander is said to have cut the Gordian
knot, decisive work, rather than sitting down to unravel problems.

There being not a single dissenting voice raised, the proposition was
declared carried, and with that the four runners plunged immediately into
the heavy undergrowth alongside the road.

Fred used his eyes and his memory to advantage. He knew that it would
not do to make any mistake, and be lost in that jungle. With a storm
coming on, the fierceness of which none of them could more than guess,
the one thing they must make sure of above all others was to stick to the
trail through thick and thin.

"Say, it's beginning to rain!" called out Bristles, from the far rear,
Sid being just in front of him, and Colon back of the leader's heels.

"What makes you say that?" asked Colon, who did not like to be told of so
disagreeable a fact.

"Felt a drop on my face," Bristles explained, "and you could too, if you
tried. There! that was another! It is starting in, boys, believe me!"

"He's right about that," Fred called back over his shoulder.

They could run only a small fraction of the time while threading the
winding trail through the woods, so that hurrying was utterly out of the
question. Thunder had been heard several additional times, and it seemed
to be coming closer, if its increasing rumble counted for anything.

The drops began to fall faster and faster, and it became evident that in
a few minutes they could expect a downpour.

"One good thing," said the cheerful Sid, "we won't be apt to ruin our
best Sunday go-to-meeting glad rags by getting them soaked."

"Good for you, Sid!" called out Fred, "always seeing the silver lining of
the cloud, no matter how dark it grows. Whew! that was close by," he
added, as a loud crash of thunder sounded.

The rain fell in sheets for a short time; then the thunder died away,
though there was no let-up to the fall of water.

"I think we're close to that poor farm," was the announcement