“To-morrow we’ll have to locate all over again,” said Snap.  “And if we want to be comfortable, we’ll have to put up another cabin.  But we needn’t to make it quite so complete as that other one was.”

“Let us look around and see if we can’t find some sort of a natural shelter,” suggested Shep—–­“some cave, or overhanging rocks, or something like that.”

“Where the rocks can come down and bury us alive,” said Whopper.  “Wouldn’t that be charming!”

“Whopper, you’re as soothing as a funeral!” cried Giant.  “We ought to make you build the next cabin all alone.”

“Well, I could do that if I had time enough,” was the dry reply.

Among the trees the boys found a pretty fair shelter, and here made themselves as comfortable as possible.  They covered the stores in the boat with the canvas, piled the wood on the camp-fire, and then lay down to rest, leaving Giant to stand guard for the first two hours of the night.

When Giant called Snap to relieve him it was already raining and the wind was rising.  The fire had died down and they did not dare to stir it up for fear the wind would carry the sparks into the forest and cause a general conflagration.

“I guess we are in for it,” declared Snap, as he peered around in the darkness.  “Just listen to the wind rising!”

Giant retired, leaving the leader of the tour on guard.  Snap walked around for a bit, but then had to seek the shelter of the trees as the rain came down heavily.

“Hullo! what’s this?” came from Whopper, as he sprang up.  “Say, I thought somebody was throwing a pail of water over me!” The rain had come through the tree branches directly down upon his upturned face.

In a few minutes more all of the boys arose, as the wind was now sending the rain in all directions.  The tree limbs bent low and threatened to break at every instant.

“Phew!” cried Whopper.  “There goes my cap!” And he made a dash after the whirling headgear, catching it just as it was sailing for the lake.

A moment later came a gust of wind that almost lifted them from their feet.  The trees of the forest were bent lower than ever, and amid the whistling of the tornado came a crack like that of a big pistol.

“Look out for the tree-top!” yelled Shep, and pulled Snap to one side.  All jumped into the open and were just in time to escape about ten feet of the top of the tree, which sailed through the air and bit the lake surface with a loud splash.  Then down came half a dozen small branches, several with birds’ nests on them.

“This is positively the worst storm yet,” was Snap’s comment, after a perilous half hour had passed.  “I am wet to the skin.”

“Don’t say a word,” groaned Whopper.  “I’ve got about a barrel of water in my shoes and another barrel down my neck!”

“I am going to see if the stores are safe,” came from Shep, and he hurried for the boat, followed by Snap.  They found that the canvas had torn from its fastenings and was flapping wildly in the wind.  The rain had soaked almost everything.