“I’ll find my flashlight to-morrow,” promised Bunny.

“I’ll get one myself then,” said his father.  “No telling when we might need it.”

All this while the big automobile was slowly bumping and moving along.  Uncle Tad and Mr. Brown took Sue’s Teddy bear.  By pressing on a button in the toy’s back the eyes shone brightly, two electric lights being behind them.

“Does Sallie Malinda give a good light, Daddy?” asked Sue, as her father got ready to open the door again.

“Yes, little girl.  It will be all right, and the wind can’t blow out Sallie’s eyes, no matter how hard it puffs.”

With the Teddy bear as a lantern Mr. Brown again went out.  This time the wind did not matter, though it seemed to be blowing harder than ever.  Uncle Tad followed Mr. Brown out on the rear steps of the car.  They shut the door behind them to keep out the rain.

“Why, it’s a regular flood!” cried Uncle Tad, as the Teddy bear’s eyes flashed on swirling and muddy water.

“That’s what it is,” said Daddy Brown.  “Say, we’ve got to do something!” he cried to his uncle.  “And we’ve got to do it soon.  We’ll have to anchor—­tie the auto to a tree or something.  This flood may carry us down to the big river just below!”

CHAPTER XII

AT THE FIRE

Holding the Teddy bear so the light from its eyes shone all about, the two men stood on the back steps of the automobile and looked around them.

All about was swiftly running water.  The evening before, in coming to a stop for the night, Mr. Brown had noticed, not far away from their camping place, a small stream.  Behind it were some high hills or small mountains, but, though the storm was a hard one, no one thought the little brook would turn into such a river.

“But that’s what it’s done,” said Uncle Tad.  “It’s risen so high that it’s covered the side of the road near where we were, and it’s floated us off.”

“Yes.  I fear we’ll soon be flooded inside.”

Bunny, listening at the outer door of the big car, heard above the noise of the flood and the rain, his father say this.  For a moment he was frightened, then he happened to think: 

“Well, I’ve got rubber boots, and if the water comes in here I can wade around and get things.  But I guess I won’t tell Sue and Momsie about it.  They might be scared.”

Bunny Brown was a brave little chap when it came to something like this.  In fact he had shown his bravery more than once, as those of you who have read the other books about him and his sister well know.

Out on the steps of the automobile, with the glaring eyes of Sue’s Teddy bear to let them see what was going on, Mr. Brown and Uncle Tad again looked about.

They could see the rain coming down hard, and on both sides of them was what seemed to be a big river of water.  Many little brooks in the mountains, joining together, had made such a big stream that it had shoved along the heavy auto.