CHAPTER XXVI.
THE SQUALL.
The little steamer soon afterward arrived at its dock, and thetransfer to the large boat was speedily made. Then, in the eagernessto be first in the dining room and to satisfy the cravings of theirappetites, which were already keen, Bob's lectures and the earlydiscoverers were all forgotten.
Nor did Bob seem to grieve at the apparent disregard, though whetherit was his hunger, or his unwillingness to hear the suggestion Ben hadmade as to the source of his information, which was the cause of it,he did not feel called upon to explain.
At all events, when the boys returned to the deck they were at peaceamong themselves and with all the world; and as Bob was careful noteven to hint at the men who had sailed up the river centuries beforethis time, no occasion arose in which the explanation of Ben could betaken up again.
Apparently, in spite of the fact that the large steamer was movingagainst the current, there was no less speed displayed than on thevoyage down the stream, for greater efforts were put forth. Bertsolemnly called the attention of his companions to the fact, and withno less solemnity urged them to profit by the lesson that greaterobstacles only called forth the greater powers of boats and men.
Doubtless his moral lesson was not duly appreciated, for the lads werein no mood for sermons. The constantly changing scene about them, thesweep of the great waters, and the saluting of passing vessels,occupied the most of their time and held their undivided attention.
It was late in the afternoon when at last they perceived AlexandriaBay in the distance, and knew that they had almost arrived at the endof their voyage.
"It looks as if we might have a storm, fellows," said Jock, pointingas he spoke to some heavy black clouds that could be seen in thedistance.
"If it'll hold off till we get back to camp we shan't care," repliedBert, lightly.
They were all so eager to land now that they had no disposition tostop and consider even the threatenings of the storm-clouds.
"Hello! There's Ethan!" exclaimed Jock, as he obtained a glimpse oftheir boatman on the dock. "Perhaps he has his cat-boat with him. I'msure I hope he has, for I don't want to row back to camp, especiallyif it's going to rain."
As soon as they landed, Ethan greeted them, and without waiting tolisten to the story of their experiences in the Longue Seaut, he saidquickly, "Git aboard my boat, every one o' ye. It's goin' to rain, an'I want to land ye afore it begins. Git yer skiff an' I'll take it intow, an' we'll start right off."
Jock ran quickly to the place where his skiff had been left, and as herowed around the corner of the dock to the cat-boat, Bert said,"Where's Ben? He'll have to get his canoe too."
But Ben at first could not be found, and the anger of Ethan waxedstrong. "That pesky boy is always the one to bother us. Where do yes'pose he is?"
"There! there he is!" exclaimed Bob, pointing as he spoke toward acanoe which could be seen out on the river.
The occupant could not be plainly seen, but after watching hismovements for a moment they were all satisfied that it was indeed Ben,who, probably in his desire to paddle his own canoe, had slipped awayunobserved, and was already well on his way back to camp.
Ethan uttered another exclamation of anger, but as he quickly bade theboys take their places on board his boat, there was no time lost infurther investigations, and soon, with the skiff in tow, they wereheaded down the river. There was, however, but little air stirring,and soon the cat-boat was almost becalmed. The heavy clouds climbedhigher and higher in the sky, but the waters of the river were almostas motionless as glass. The sail flapped idly against the mast, andthe boat slowly drifted with the current.
Ethan did not speak now, but his evident air of alarm speedilycommunicated itself to his companions. They glanced nervously at oneanother, and then at the great black mass which was almost directlyover their heads.
"Don't you think we'd better take the oars, Ethan?" suggested Jock.
Ethan shook his head, but made no other reply. A streak of light grayin the dense blackness of the clouds could now be seen, and as theboatman discovered it, he said, "Take in the sail, boys. It'll be--"
But Ethan did not complete the sentence, for suddenly the deluge wasupon them. In a moment the wind began to blow, and like a startledhorse the boat suddenly seemed to leap forward. A roaring sound filledthe air, and the trees along the distant shore bent and swayed andtossed their branches wildly, as if they, too, shared in the alarm.The river was quickly covered with white-caps, and the rail of thecat-boat was almost beneath the water.
"Here! here!" shouted Ethan suddenly, endeavoring to make his voiceheard above the noise of the storm. "Two of ye hold the tiller while Itake in the sail."
Bob and Jock sprang to do his bidding, but their combined strength washardly sufficient to hold the boat to its course. Ethan worked his wayslowly toward the mast, and after a hard struggle succeeded inlowering the sail, a part of which dragged in the water before hecould draw it on board.
At last, succeeding in a measure in his efforts, he returned to hisplace in the stern and resumed his labors with the tiller. The fury ofthe storm had now increased. All on board were soon drenched; but theydid not mind the wetting, for a great fear was in their hearts. Theroar of the wind was like that of a railway train under full speed.Even the outlines of the shores could not now be seen. Under barepoles the boat sped swiftly forward. Once or twice they caught aglimpse of other luckless men caught as they were in the squall, butthey were speedily lost to sight, and the cat-boat darted ahead withever-increasing speed.
Suddenly Jock discovered that it was no longer rain which was fallingupon them, but hail; and even while he looked up in astonishment, thehailstones seemed to increase in size. As they struck the Boys in theface or upon the head they produced a sharp pain, and every onespeedily covered his face with his cap and drew his coat up moretightly about his neck.
"Go into the cabin, every one o' ye!" shouted Ethan; but his voice wasdrowned by the storm, and no one heard or heeded his cry of warning.
On and on plunged the boat, higher and higher rose the tossing waves,stronger and stronger became the force of the pelting hailstones. Inspite of their fear the boys all looked up as they heard a suddensound of breaking branches and snapping trees. Just before themthrough the blinding storm they could see a shore and tossing watersas they fell in waves upon the rocks. A great tree had just fallen,and the sound of the crash it made as it fell upon the smaller treesabout it increased the terror in the boat. They were not more thantwenty yards distant now, and it seemed as if no power on earth couldsave them from being dashed upon the projecting rocks. A great mass ofearth had been torn up by the roots of the tree which had fallen, andthey could see the wall it presented.
Nearer and nearer to the shore sped the swift-flying cat-boat. Theboys relaxed their hold upon their caps and coats, and grasped thesides of the boat as they waited for the crash which threatened. Ethanwas struggling desperately with the tiller, and doing his utmost tokeep his boat away from the rocks, but his efforts were like those ofa little child. No one spoke, but the terror each felt was known byall.
Then came a moment of breathless suspense; a low cry escaped the lipsof Jock. The boatman rose and threw himself bodily against the tiller,striving by one last desperate effort to keep his boat off the rocks.There was a grating sound from the keel, and then in a moment theyswept past the dangerous point and were out in the river again. Theyhad been so close to the rocky shore that they almost could haveleaped upon it, but if any one had had it in mind to make thefoolhardy attempt, the opportunity was gone before he could use it.
The sense of relief which came at the escape in nowise prevented theboys from knowing that the fury of the squall had not yet spentitself. They could see piles of hailstones on board the boat, and someof them seemed to be almost as large as small eggs. They were peltedupon the head and about the body, and there was no escape or relief.The wind still roared, the seething waters tossed and rose about them,the boa
t lurched and pitched, and yet all the time was driven swiftlyforward under the terrific force of the gale. Other perils might liebefore them, and with the thought the boys all peered eagerly ahead,though they could see but a short distance through the blinding storm.
Suddenly a lull came, and as the boys glanced up they could see abroad streak of light in the western sky. The black clouds werescurrying overhead, and the sound of the thunder seemed to be a littlefarther away. Swiftly as the storm had approached, with almost asgreat swiftness it departed. The flashes of the vivid lightning couldstill be seen, but they were farther down the river. The outlines ofthe distant shores became more and more distinct, and almost beforethe boys were aware of what was occurring, the blaze of the sun brokethrough, and the wind and the storm subsided.
"We're all right now," said Ethan; and with a sigh of relief the boysturned to look at him.
"Them squalls," explained the boatman, "are mighty sudden. Ye neverknow when to expect 'em, or jest what to do when they come. Now, yesee why I told ye not to go far from camp with yer canoes."
The mention of the canoes instantly recalled their thoughts to themissing Ben. He had recklessly ventured forth in his, and doubtlesshad been caught in the same storm which had so suddenly swept downupon them.
For a moment no one spoke, and then Jock said tremblingly, "You don'tsuppose anything has happened to Ben, do you, Ethan?"
"No knowin'. Mebbe he ran in to some island when the squall broke."
It was evident, however, that the boatman was no less troubled thanthey by the thoughts of the absent Ben; but he at once placed thetiller in the hands of the boys and went forward to hoist his sailonce more.
The wind had subsided now, and the boisterous waves were rapidlyresuming their former state of calm. It was the first experience theboys had had in the sudden squalls which are wont to swoop down uponthe St. Lawrence, and ofttimes bring sorrow and destruction in theirwake. Ordinarily they subside as rapidly as they rise, and the presentinstance proved to be no exception to the rule. The river was sooncalm, the low sun was shining clear and strong, and only a gentlebreeze ruffled the waters that only a brief time before were tossinglike the waves of an angry sea.
Steadily the cat-boat kept on its way, and as it had not been drivenvery far out of its course, not a long time had elapsed before theparty was landed at the dock in front of their camp.
But what a sight met their eyes there! Neither of the tents could beseen, and directly across the path which led down to the shore, a hugetree had fallen. Broken branches strewed the ground, and the signs ofthe fierceness of the gale were apparent on every side.
Slight heed was given to any of these things, however, so alarmed werethe boys over the safety of their missing companion. Poor Ben! Wasever a more luckless mortal born into this world? He was ever the oneto meet with mishaps, if mishaps befell; but his peril in the presentinstance far exceeded all he had experienced before.
"Now, boys," said Ethan, "you'd better take the skiff and row back upthe river. You may find Ben somewhere, and he may need ye, too. Whileyou're gone I'll see where the tents have been blown to and try to setthings to rights again."
Without waiting to reply, the three boys quickly freed the skiff whichthe cat-boat had been towing, and Jock and Bob, each taking a pair ofoars, began to row swiftly over the river. They had no definite ideaas to just where it was best to go, but they kept on their way backtoward Alexandria Bay, hoping that somewhere they would discover Benpaddling to meet them in his canoe. Their strongest hope was that hehad landed somewhere before the storm broke, and now that it was gone,would be on his way back to the camp.
They had been gone about a quarter of an hour, when Bert, who wasseated in the stern, exclaimed, "There's a canoe up ahead, fellows,but there's no one in it."
His companions stopped rowing for a moment and glanced eagerly behindthem. Then with redoubled speed they began to move toward the driftingcanoe. Soon they had overhauled it, and a low cry escaped Jock's lipswhen he recognized it at once as the one which had belonged to themissing Ben.