, as he drew
near the point, that the waves were running by it, with great speed and
force, down the pond. As the boat shot out from the shelter of the point
into this place of exposure, the storm struck them suddenly, with a
blast which swept the bows of the boat at once round out of her course,
and dashed the spray from the waves all over Rollo's face and shoulders.
It was with great difficulty that Jonas could bring the boat to the wind
again.

He succeeded, however, at length, and they went on, for some time,
pitching and tossing, through the waves,--the wind pressing so hard upon
the boat that it was very difficult for Jonas to make any headway. The
wind had changed its direction, so that it blew now almost exactly
across their course; and it required great exertion for Jonas to prevent
being blown away down the pond, out of his track altogether.

In the mean time, the wind rather increased than diminished; and the
water dashed in so much over the bows that Rollo had to dip it up with
the cover of the tin pail, and pour it out over the side of the boat
into the pond again. They were going on in this way, both toiling very
laboriously, when suddenly they began to hear a sound like distant
thunder, somewhat louder than the ordinary roaring of the wind. They
both looked towards the shore in the direction from which the sound
came. On the declivity of a range of hills covered with forests they saw
an unusual commotion among the trees. The tops were bowed down with
great force; the branches were broken off, and Jonas thought that he
could see fragments of them flying in the air; and presently, farther
down, he observed several tall pines bending over, and then sinking down
till they disappeared.

"What is it?" said Rollo.

"A squall," said Jonas,--"and coming down directly upon us."

"What shall we do?" asked Rollo.

"Put the boat before the wind," replied Jonas, "and let her run: we must
go where the squall carries us."

Jonas immediately began to pull the stern of the boat around with his
paddle, so as to turn the head of it away from the quarter which the
wind was blowing from; and then the wind drove the boat along very
rapidly over the waves, which curled and foamed on each side, driving
onward with great fury. When they looked around behind them, they saw
that the pond, which was of a very dark color, though spotted with the
white tips of the waves all over its surface, was almost black for a
large space