“You forget the worst thing of all—­the stealing of my gun!” grumbled Bluff.

“Well, I wish Jerry was back.  I hate to think of him wandering around in the woods in the storm that’s coming, for it’s going to be a corker,” remarked Frank, eying the darkening sky with uneasiness.

“Perhaps the old trapper influenced him to stay over with him till to-morrow?” suggested Will, who was making his beloved camera secure against rain by wrapping it in folds of waterproof material brought along for the purpose.

“A bright idea; and I hope it’s so.  But you know, he said he meant to take in a new locality for a hunt after seeing Jesse.  Well, Jerry is up to many things connected with woods life, and at any rate he knows how to look out for himself,” and as he spoke Frank stooped down by the tent.

“What are you doing now?” asked the curious Bluff.

“Driving these tent pegs in deeper.  There’s no telling what sort of wind may be on us.  Listen to that, will you?” said Frank.

“Thunder, as sure as you live!  Pretty late in the year for that, ain’t it?”

“Oh, we sometimes hear it even in winter.  But, you see, the day has been unusually close and muggy.  I felt a storm in the air this morning, and I’m not surprised.  But I would be glad to see Jerry show up,” continued the other, as he tapped each pin a few times, to send them in more securely.

The muttering in the distance increased constantly in volume.

Frank, as an old campaigner, knew what was to be done.  Under his directions Toby and the two boys made everything as snug as could be expected.  They also concealed some dry wood in the hollow of a tree nearby, so that later on they might be prepared for making a fire.

The storm came at last, with a furious wind, and a heavy downpour of rain.

“Wow!” exclaimed Bluff, as he looked out from the tent, “ain’t I glad we got here before that came.  One ducking satisfies me; I’m not greedy.”

The afternoon waned, and night came on, still there were no signs of Jerry.  Frank worried some, but stopped speaking of the matter, for he saw that old Toby was beginning to shake with fear, as the wind increased in fury, and the tents wobbled about at a great rate.

“I hope they hold out,” said Frank to himself.

He even donned a waterproof he had brought along, and going outside, tapped the pegs all around again.  Everything seemed secure so far as he could see.  Still, he knew that if one peg gave, the balance could not resist the additional strain, and a catastrophe must result.

Old Toby was really too much alarmed to retire to his fly; so Frank told him he could remain with him when the other boys went to their tent.

None of them expected to obtain much sleep.  The wind came in fierce gusts, the trees groaned and writhed, and once or twice Frank really heard a crash in the forest that told of a rent in the timber.