“Kick that dog out of the car first,” pleaded Fred.

“I won’t,” Darrin retorted.  “The dog is my guarantee for your good behavior to-night.”

As soon as might be they ran around the lower end of the lake, then raced for the hotel.

There Dr. Bentley was aroused.  While he was dressing he sent a bell-boy to order his own big car.

Just when Ripley vanished from the scene no one about the grounds or the hotel seemed to know or care.

Dr. Bentley, dressed in record time, came down.

“Now, we’ll drive fast, Darrin,” the doctor announced, as he dropped his bag into the car and seated himself at the wheel.  “Struck by lightning, did you say?  It was a fearful storm, but it is stopping now.”

Ere they reached the camp the stars were out.  There was no sign of nature’s dangerous mood.

Dr. Bentley first of all ordered that the canvas be lifted and cast aside.  The tent was badly wrecked and burned, though the rain had prevented the rising of flames that might have burned the bodies of the five unconscious boys.

“Throw your coat off, Darrin, and do the work of four men for a few minutes,” said Dr. Bentley tersely.

“I’ll do the work of a hundred,” replied Dave, “if I can find the way.”

After some minutes of hard work Tom Reade opened his eyes.  Shortly after this the puffing of one of the hotel launches was heard.  For the doctor, while hurrying into his clothes, had left word with Mrs. Bentley what to do.  The launch brought another and much larger tent, with cots, bedding and other things, as well as four capable workmen.

Greg came to next.  Neither he nor Reade, however, were good for much at the time.  By the time that the new tent was up, and the cots arranged those who were still unconscious were carried in there.  Then Greg and Tom were helped into the drier quarters.

It was Dick who longest resisted the efforts to bring him to consciousness.  At last, however, he opened his eyes.

“It was a mercy that none of you were killed,” uttered Dr. Bentley devoutly.  “A little bit more of the current and you might have been done for.”

But now that he had attended to his young friends, Dr. Bentley did not think of returning to the hotel.  He remained through the night, despite the fact that his charges became steadily stronger and at last went sound asleep.

In the morning, before eight o’clock, the launch was over again on that side of the lake.  This time it brought Mrs. Bentley, Mrs. Meade and the girls, as well as a lot of daintily prepared food fresh from the hotel kitchen.

“This is a mighty pleasant world!” sighed Dick Prescott, full of luxurious content.

“Yes when you have some good friends in the same world with you,” Tom added.

Dave and Dan slipped away to remove the body of the rabid dog killed during the night.