y
believe that if you hadn't gone in for the game I'd have picked it up
myself. But one photographic crank in the party is enough; some of us
have to stick to the gun in order to supply the meat for the camp when
the season is on."

Frank had been persuaded by Will's logic, and he continued to push on,
though constantly keeping track of conditions. He did not wish to have
to confess sooner or later that he was lost, which would not be so
impossible a thing to happen in that dense wood.

It was while they were making their way along in this fashion toward
the middle of the afternoon, that, without the slightest warning,
there came a loud and angry crash of thunder; and looking up in a
startled way they saw inky black clouds gathering overhead.

CHAPTER XII

CAUGHT IN THE STORM

"Why Frank! What does this mean?" exclaimed the astonished Will, as he
stared first at his chum, and then up past the lofty tops of the
forest trees to where those inky thunder-caps were thrusting their
ugly noses into sight.

"Simply that we've been caught napping for once," replied the other,
with an expression of mingled amusement and disgust on his face; for
such a thing did not happen very often in the experience of a
wide-awake fellow like Frank Langdon.

"It's going to storm like fun," continued Will, with growing
apprehension.

"And the first thing we've got to do," his companion told him, "is to
look for shelter. Under these big trees we might find a place to keep
dry, for there's one that's hollow right now; but the danger of its
being struck by lightning is too great for me to risk."

"Whew! We're in for it, I expect!" cried Will, who apparently had
received quite a severe shock upon making this sudden discovery, when
up to the time that loud thunder clap startled them neither of the
boys had suspected anything.

Frank began to look hastily about him. He knew what he wanted to find
above all things, and fortunately the country around that section was
capable of producing such a safe shelter.

"Hurry along this way, Will!" he called out. "If I remember rightly I
noticed some outcropping ledges back a little bit. We may be lucky
enough to find shelter under a shelf of rock."

"That's a good idea, Frank," admitted Will, as he tried to keep close
on the heels of his hurrying comrade.

"If the rain will only hold off ten minutes, even less, we ought to
get to that rocky section, unless I miss my guess," Frank threw