"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.
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