Part 17 (1/2)
”I--I guess so!” answered Joe ”But it's a tight squeeze” Then the youth called out to his brother, but no answer came back
”Willin his throat
”Will! Will! Where are you?” he continued
Still there was no answer, or if so the fury of the wind drowned it out completely The boys tried their best to e a few inches
In five minutes the fury of the blow spent itself and the last of the wind sent the fallen tree rolling along the cliff a distance of several rods This released Joe and Darry, and they arose to their feet dazed and bewildered and scarcely knohat to do next It was now raining and darker than ever
”Benson!” called out Joe, ”where is my brother?”
”The captain must still be under the tree,” replied the old scout ”He was next to you when the tree came doasn't he?”
”He was, but I believe the wind carried his hat off, and he ering to his feet, Joe looked around, trying to pierce the darkness Darry followed hiot up The scout had received a nasty cut on the shoulder, fro
In a few minutes Joe found his brother The captain lay on the rocks unconscious, a big luest of the tree's branches had struck hi at his brother's side, the boy made a hasty examination
”He's alive!” he said ”But he must have been struck a terrible crack”
There was little to do excepting to bathe the unconscious officer's head, and this was done In theup the wounded shoulder
”Take the tree off!” Such were the first words Captain Moore uttered when he returned to consciousness It was soht, Will--the tree is not on you,” said Joe soothingly
”But it caht on top of me”
”Yes, it came down on all of us”
”Anybody killed?”
”No Benson has a cut on the shoulder, and you were knocked out Feel the lu captain did so
”Phew! But that's a regular goose-egg, isn't it?” he muttered ”I suppose I can be thankful that I am alive”
”We can all be thankful for that, Will”
”It was the greatest blow I ever experienced--in more ways than one,”
said the captain ”I see it is raining We had better go back to the cliff for protection”
”Don't do it!” cried old Benson, from out of the darkness ”The tree struck the cliff a heavy blow, and we don't want that down on our heads next”
”No, let us give the cliff a wide berth,” said Darry ”I'd rather reet soaked than take any more risks”
”The rain won't amount to much,” said Benson ”It never does after such a hurricane”
The scout was right, and in less than half an hour after it had begun the downpour was over and the stars were struggling forth in the sky