shing in under the tree where the four lads had been resting.

The Rover boys had left Colby Hall immediately after the day's lessons
for a tramp through the woods that bordered the Rick Rack River. They
had been kept indoors more or less for over two weeks, it raining nearly
every day. But that morning the sun had come through the clouds, and
they had thought to enjoy a much-desired outing.

All were clad in their cadet uniforms, and in addition wore their
shoulder capes and also their rubbers. They had found the roads and
paths running through the woods very wet, but did not mind this, being
glad to breathe some "real air," as Randy had expressed it.

"I just hate to be boxed in all the time," had been his words. "Give me
an outdoor life every time." And then in the exuberance of his spirits
he had turned what is commonly termed among athletes a cart-wheel. But
when his feet came down again he found the ground so slippery he
promptly landed flat on his back, much to the amusement of the others.

The four Rovers had asked some of their chums to accompany them, but two
of the other cadets had errands to do in town and the others wished to
write letters to their folks at home, so the four had gone off by
themselves. All were good walkers, and they had covered a distance of
several miles before the sky became again overcast.

"If we weren't so far from the school we might make a dash for it,"
suggested Jack.

"We can't run that far!" returned Fred, who was the smallest of the
boys. "We'd be all out of wind and simply get wet through and through.
Let's try for the river. We're sure to find some sort of shelter under
the rocks and bushes at the Bend."

"All right; here we go!" was Jack's quick reply. As the oldest of the
boys and as a captain of the Colby Hall cadets, he was naturally looked
upon as the leader.

He and Fred started side by side and Andy and Randy followed closely.
Their course was along a winding path leading over some rough rocks and
through some small overhanging bushes.

"Wow! What are you trying to do? Give me a shower-bath?" grumbled Randy
presently. Jack had pushed some long and well-saturated brushwood to one
side in passing. Now the bushes swung back into place, catching poor
Randy over the face and breast and showering him with water.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't hold the bushes back," said Jack. "You had
better not stick so close."

"Oh, well, a little more water doesn't count, Jack. We