hey went on without any accident. Shif'less Sol, however, gazed up at
the moon with an unquiet eye.

"She looks too soft an' fleecy," he said, speaking of the moon. "When
she's peepin' through them lacy-lookin' clouds it means that trouble is
about to stir."

"We'll keep a watch," said Henry.

They continued until midnight and Sol's troubles still kept off, but about
that time all noticed a sudden increase of the breeze, accompanied by an
equal increase of dampness.

"Something like a storm is coming and you were right, Sol," said Henry.
"Now, I wish we knew a lot about sailing."

"But as we don't," said Paul, "I think we'd better take in our sail at
once."

They quickly did so and their precaution was wise. The wind, blowing out
of the north, began to shriek, and the boat, even without the aid of a
sail, leaped forward. Driving clouds suddenly shut out the moon, and the
yellow waters of the giant stream, lashed by the wind, began to heave and
surge in waves like those of the sea. The treasure ship, "The Galleon,"
pitched and rocked like a real galleon in the long swells of the Pacific,
but the five knew that she was perfectly safe. The broad, square Spanish
boat could not be swamped.

"Thank God, we've taken in that sail," said Henry. "We're going to have a
night of it! Do you think we'd better pull for the shore?"

"Not now," replied Shif'less Sol, "the wind's risin' too fast, an' we'd
hit a tree or a snag, shore. Better keep ez nearly in the middle o' the
river ez we kin!"

The soundness of Sol's judgment became apparent at once. The shriek of the
wind rose to a scream and then a roar. The night became pitchy dark. They
could see nothing around them but a narrow circle of muddy waters heaving
violently. Under the far horizon in the south and west, low, sullen
thunder began to mutter. Suddenly the sky parted before a tremendous flash
of lightning that blazed for a moment across the heavens and then went
out, leaving the night darker than before. But in that moment they caught
a vivid glimpse of the flooded forest, the great waste of troubled waters,
and all the vast desolation about them. It was weird and uncanny to the
last degree, and despite all the dangers and hardships through which they
had passed on land, the five steadied their nerves only with supreme
efforts of the will.

"We've forgot the covering for our boat," exclaimed Henry. "Paul, keep her
steady, while the rest of you help me."

It requi