in sheets of water, and soon converted our
camp into a pond, the spot on which my mother's tent stood happily
forming an island. With the crashing of the thunder, the roar of the
wind, and the fierce pattering of the rain, we could scarcely hear each
other speak. We were thankful that we had already encamped before the
storm came on. Hour after hour it raged without giving any sign of
diminution. I was seated alongside Uncle Denis, wrapped up in a buffalo
robe in one of the waggons nearest to the river, which we could
occasionally see by stretching out our necks beyond the canvas as the
flashes of lightning darted across it.

"Mike, does it strike you that the water has risen higher than it was
when we first encamped? Watch for the next flash, and tell me what you
think."

I did as he directed me.

"It seems to me almost up to the top of the bank," I answered.

"I hope it won't come higher, then," he said, "for if it does, we shall
have to harness up, and seek for a more elevated position to spend the
remainder of the night, though it won't be pleasant to have to move
while the storm lasts."

Again looking out, and waiting for another flash, it appeared to me that
the water had not only risen to the bank, but had overflowed. It was
meandering in various channels over the ground.

I told my uncle, who watched as I had done, until he was convinced in
another few minutes that our camp would be completely flooded. He
shouted out to my father, who agreed with him. Our first care was to
get my mother and Kathleen, with their attendants, into their waggon,
and to wrap them up as well as we could. We then, calling to the men,
hurried out, splashing over the wet ground, while the rain came like a
shower-bath down on our heads, to catch the oxen and harness them up.
It was no easy matter to find the animals, as it was only when the
lightning flashed forth that we could distinguish them, so pitchy dark
was the night. First one team was caught, then another and another, we
all shouting at the top of our voices to make ourselves heard. There
was no time to be lost; already the water was almost up to the axles.
At length, however, we got the oxen harnessed and the horses saddled.
First one waggon was drawn out, and then another, but it took some time
before all were ready to move forward. The next point to be considered
was the direction to take. We might possibly only find ourselves on
lower ground, and consequen