pidly rising wind, which fortunately arose directly behind them. It
was at first different from any ordinary breeze. It seemed to come
along like a thing of life, now catching up a handful of water and
scattering it like sand, then bounding up in wanton sport, and then once
more trailing on the waters and making it ripple in lines or lanes, as
in mad sport it now more rapidly hurried along.

Then, as they looked back over their shoulders to the north-west, they
saw coming up the cyclonic cloud. It was dark as midnight, ragged at
its edges, and above it was a rim of sky so green and so unnatural that
our brave young people for a moment almost recoiled with terror at the
sight.

"Paddle for that island!" shouted Rachel. "No canoe can live in such a
storm as will soon be on us."

Hardly had she uttered these words ere there shot out a thunderbolt so
vivid that they were all nearly blinded by its intense brightness. It
seemed to fill the whole heavens around them with its dazzling
whiteness, and then as suddenly it was gone.

"One, two, three, four," began Rachel, who, although paddling with
wondrous effectiveness, was calm and collected.

"O, don't stop to count," called Winnie, who was like the rest
desperately yet cautiously using her paddle. "It would be better to
pray than do that."

"We'll do that shortly, but paddle for dear life now, and don't
interrupt the count. Where was I? Ten, eleven, twelve--" and at
eighteen there came the crash of the thunder of that lightning flash
that had so nearly blinded them. It was as though a thousand great
cannon had simultaneously been fired.

"Hurrah!" shouted the brave girl the instant it died away. "We have two
minutes and a half yet ere the cyclone reaches us. In two minutes we
must reach the other side of that high rocky point, and in the remaining
half minute we must get on the lee side of the great sheltering rocks.
Courage all, and let every stroke tell!"

And there was need for courage, for already the white caps were around
them, and behind them the waters hissed and shrieked like demons let
loose and howling for their victims. The heavens were rapidly being
overwhelmed with the blackness of darkness. But here is the point!
Skillfully the two girls, who were in the stern of the canoes, steered
them sharply around, and the strong strokes of Frank and Alec did the
rest, and they were in the shelter of the rock. But it would only be
safe for an instan