“This side of the roof always leaks when it rains hard,” said Birdie. “Papa’s going to fix it when he has time. I never seen it rain like it does to-day.”
The shower was very heavy, but it did not last long. The clouds rolled away, and the sun shone down on the drenched earth from a perfect dome of clear, blue sky. Birds sang, and insects hummed and chirruped in the grasses, and the breezes shook little showers of twinkling water-drops from the trees. The air was full of cool freshness and sunshine. It seemed to give new life and cheer to every living creature. The campers were quite gleeful as they ran over to their tent after the storm was well past.
“We’ll just hoist the ridge-pole into place,” said John, “and let things dry off, and then we’ll pack up.”
The goods inside had escaped serious wetting, but they thought best to hang two of the blankets on some neighboring saplings.
“What a racket the water makes down in the gorge,” said Harry. “Let’s go down and have a look at it.”
Everything was wet and slippery, and they took off shoes and stockings and left them at the tent.
“I declare!” exclaimed John, as they approached the stream, “this is a big flood. There’s hardly one of those big bowlders but that the water covers clear to the top. How muddy it is! and see the rubbish! A man couldn’t live a minute if he was to jump in there. How it does boil and tear along!”
“Come on, let’s go up to the dam,” shouted Harry, endeavoring to make himself heard above the roaring waters.
He clambered along over the rocks among the trees on the steep bank, but he had no sooner got within seeing distance than he stopped short and called excitedly to John close behind him, “It’s gone! It’s gone! The whole thing’s washed away,--dam, and bridge, and mill,--all gone to smash. And see! the gorge at the fall’s all choked up with big timbers. See the water spout and splash about ’em.”
It was a grand sight--the mighty tumble of waters from the precipice above, foaming down into the gorge, then broken in the narrow, almost perpendicular, chasm into a thousand flying sprays, whence the mists arose as from a monster, steaming cauldron. And there the boys saw a rainbow which they had looked for in vain before. They stayed nearly an hour, fascinated by the turmoil of the flood.