Raftmates | Page 6

heart grew very tender as he thought of her and
of her unwearying love for him. "I ought to go and find her this very
minute," he said to himself; "but I must get dry first, and there probably
isn't any fire up at the house."
To while away the few minutes that he intended remaining on the raft,
Winn got one of the books of exploration from a shelf in the little
after-room, and was quickly buried in the heart of an African forest.
Completely lost to his surroundings, and absorbed in tales of the wild
beasts and wilder men of the Dark Continent, the boy read on and on
until the failing light warned him that his lamp was about to go out for

want of oil.
He yawned as he finally closed the book. "My! how sleepy I am, and
how late it must be," he said. "How the wind howls, too! It sounds as if
we were going to have a storm. I only hope it will bring plenty of rain
and high-water. Then good-bye to home, and hurrah for the great
river!"
By this chain of thought Winn was again reminded of Elta, and of the
forgiveness he had meant to secure from her that evening. "It is too late
now, though," he said to himself. "She must have gone to bed long ago,
and I guess I might as well do the same; but I'll see her the very first
thing in the morning."
With this the tired boy blew out the expiring flame of his lamp, and
tumbled into his bunk, where in another minute he was as sound asleep
as ever in his life.
In the mean time the high-water for which he hoped so earnestly was
much nearer at hand than either he or any one else supposed. The storm
now howling through the pines had been raging for hours about the
head-waters of the creek, and the deluge of rain by which it was
accompanied was sweeping steadily down-stream towards the great
river. Even as Winn sat by the stove reading, the first of the swelling
waters began to rise along the sides of the raft, and by the time the
storm broke overhead the Venture was very nearly afloat.
Although Winn slept too soundly to be disturbed by either wind or rain,
the storm awoke Major Caspar, who listened for some time to this
announcement that the hour for setting forth on his long-projected
journey was at hand. He had no anxiety for the safety of the raft, for he
remembered the stout cable by which he had secured it, and
congratulated himself upon the precaution thus taken. "Besides, Winn
is aboard," he reflected, "and he is almost certain to rouse us all with
the joyful news the minute he finds that the raft is afloat." Thus
reassuring himself, the Major turned over and went comfortably to
sleep.

Elta knew nothing of the storm until morning, but hearing the rain the
moment she awoke, she too recognized it as the signal for the Venture's
speedy departure. From her window she had heretofore been able to see
one corner of the raft; but now, peering out through the driving rain that
caused the forest depths to appear blue and dim, she could not discover
it. With a slight feeling of uneasiness, she hastily dressed, and went to
Winn's door. There was no answer to her knock. She peeped in. Winn
was not there, nor had the bed been occupied.
"He did spend the night on the raft, then, and so of course it is all
right," thought the girl, greatly relieved at this discovery. "The Venture
must be afloat, though. I wonder if father knows it?"
Just then Major Caspar appeared, evidently prepared to face the storm.
"Well, little daughter," he said, "high-water has come at last, and the
time of our departure is at hand. I am going down to see what Winn
thinks of it."
"Oh, can't I go with you, papa? I should dearly love to!" cried Elta.
"Well, I don't know," hesitated the Major. "I suppose you might if you
were rigged for it."
This permission was sufficient, and the active girl bounded away full of
glee at the prospect of a battle with the storm, and of surprising Winn
on the raft. Three minutes later she reappeared, clad in rubber boots and
a water-proof cloak, the hood of which, drawn over her head, framed
her face in the most bewitching manner.
The Major attempted to protect her still further with a large umbrella;
but they had hardly left the house before a savage gust swooped down
and gleefully rendered it useless by turning it inside out. Casting the
umbrella aside, the Major clasped Elta's hand firmly in