“But I can’t see a cloud,” said Rob.
“Don’t matter,” replied Joe, who was also looking keenly round. “I’ve seen the heavy rain come streaming down when the sky has been quite clear, and the water has felt quite warm. Look at those fellows; they know the storm’s coming, or they would not do that.”
He pointed toward the boatmen, who were throwing a tarpaulin across the bows, ready for them to creep under as soon as the rain came.
“False alarm, boys!” said Brazier.
Shaddy overheard him, and wrinkled up his face in a curious grin as he looked hard at Rob. It was as much as to say, “All right! Just you wait a bit and see who’s right and who’s wrong.”
“My word, how hot!” cried Rob the next minute, for the sun appeared to be shining down through a kind of transparent haze so dense that it acted like a burning glass.
“Yes, this is fierce,” said Joe, drawing back into the shade afforded by the great tree.
“It would give one sunstroke, wouldn’t it, if we stopped in the full blaze?”
“I suppose so. But I say, Shaddy’s right. We are going to have a storm.”
“How do you know?”