“Yes, and those we had in Cuba, when everything went sailing out of our camp,” added Gilbert. “Gracious, but that lightning is sharp!”
He was right, the flashes were unusually brilliant and dazzled them. The whole atmosphere appeared to be charged with electricity, and the wind was now blowing little short of a hurricane.
“We had better withdraw from this forest,” said the officer in command of the company. “It is dangerous to stay here in such lightning as this.”
Everybody was willing, and one of the number suggested they move to where a slight rise of rocks would afford at least partial shelter. In making this move they had to cross the brook which has already figured in our story, and then turn an angle formed by a sharp rock backed up by several unusually large trees.
Gilbert and Ben were just at this angle, with some soldiers in front of them and some behind, when there came a flash of lightning more brilliant than any seen before. With this flash came an ear-splitting crash from the heavens, followed by another crash among the clump of trees.
Ben was dazed and so was Gilbert, and for the moment both stood transfixed, not realizing what had happened. Then Ben gave a glance at the trees and saw that one was swaying unsteadily in the wind.
“It’s coming down!” he yelled. “It’s coming down!” And he started to run to a place of safety, followed by the Japanese soldiers and their officers.
Gilbert heard his chum’s cry, but did not realize at first what it meant. The lightning flash had produced a shock through his whole system, and he felt as if a thousand needles were being thrust into him at once.
“Run, Gilbert, run!” screamed Ben, when he saw that his chum did not move. “Run, or the tree’ll come down on you.”
“Wha—what?”