Though unafraid, Harriet shivered a little and snuggled down under the blankets.  The rain now began to fall, at first mildly then increasing to a roar as heavy drops began beating on the canvas roof.  The sound lulled her to sleep.  She simply could not fight off the drowsiness that had taken possession of her, and unmindful of the storm outside, Harriet soon passed into peaceful slumber.

The storm grew heavier.  The tents were illuminated almost incessantly by flashes of lightning.  It was quite evident, however, that the camp was not in the heart of the electrical disturbance, although a veritable deluge of water was now falling upon it.

Nearly every girl in the camp lay wide awake with head buried in her pillow, shivering, momentarily expecting to be struck by lightning.  Harriet was suddenly startled by a scream following a particularly vivid flash of lightning.

“Did some one call?” she asked.

“Oh, yeth, yeth,” moaned Tommy.  “It wath awful.”

“There is nothing to fear,” returned Harriet.  “Lie down and cover your head if the lightning disturbs you.  Are the other girls asleep?”

A flash answered the question for her.  Patricia and Cora were sitting up in their beds, with blankets wrapped about them.  Their faces were pale with fright.

“Don’t be frightened, girls,” Harriet called soothingly.  “You can tell by listening that the worst of the storm has passed.  It has gone to the north of us.  The wind is blowing strongly from the south.”

Cora gave her an appealing look that made Harriet feel sorry for the girl.  Patricia never looked at her at all.

“It may rain all the rest of the night, but the dangerous part of the storm has passed,” continued Harriet.  “I’m glad of it myself.  One doesn’t feel any too secure in these flimsy tents in a heavy gale.  But don’t worry.”

“Oh, thave me!” wailed Tommy, quickly pulling the blankets over her head as the tent was illuminated by a particularly brilliant flash of lightning.

The downpour became heavier.  Next the tent began to leak.  Harriet felt several large drops of rain strike in her face.

“I think I had better move,” she said laughingly.  “How is it with you, girls?”

“I’m soaked,” answered Cora.

“Drag your cots into the middle of the tent.  I think we shall find it drier there.”

This suited Grace.  She felt the need of closer companionship.  Then followed the sound of cots being scraped along the floor.  Harriet had reasoned correctly.  The middle of the tent thus far had not begun to leak.

They crawled in under the blankets once more, but three of the Camp Girls were trembling and shivering with fear at the fury of the storm.  Ten minutes later the tent sprang a leak directly over their heads.  Very shortly after that the four cots and the bedding were thoroughly soaked by the merciless downpour.

Patricia, Cora and Tommy hurriedly crawled out of their water-soaked beds.  Harriet decided that she would be as well off in her cot, so she lay still.  She did suggest that one of the girls might try to light the lantern.  Patricia fumbled about in the darkness for the matches, and finally found them, only to discover that they were so wet that they would not light.