During an ordinary shower a tree may be an acceptable shelter, but never when the air is sur-charged with electricity; since it serves as a conductor to draw the lightning.
“But what are we agoin’ to do?”
It was Giraffe who broke out with this appeal, shortly after they left the neighborhood of the hollow tree that had so tempted Step Hen.
Up to this point the tall scout had been blindly following Thad’s lead. The quality of obedience was plainly well developed in Giraffe. But now his curiosity seemed to get the better of these other traits in his character. Although he did not come from Missouri, and in fact had never seen the sacred soil of that grand state, still Giraffe “wanted to know.”
Nor did Thad seem to take it amiss in a comrade asking such a natural question, under the circumstances.
He was always willing to volunteer information.
“Got an idea we ought to find some ledges on the other side of this little rocky knob hill on the left,” he called out.
“Oh,” said Step Hen.
That was the extent of his remarks, and for several reasons. In the first place he had considerable confidence in Thad’s sagacity, for he had seen it successfully tried under many conditions; and what the other suggested appealed to Step Hen as reasonable. Then again, he was short of breath, and needed all he possessed in order to keep running along with the others.
Step Hen and Giraffe kept pretty well up in the van. Now and then, when a particularly fearful flash came they would turn part way around, as if the fascination of that on-coming tempest were too much for them.