“Come on a run!”
The voice sounded faint.
“Coming!” exclaimed Alex.
“Come on a run——”
The voice ceased, and Alex darted ahead so fast that Clay and Frank were left behind. In a moment they heard him shout:
“Drop your head! Drop it!”
There was no sound for a second, and then a great tumbling took place on the small growths of the forest. Then came a sound like the fall of a heavy body to the ground. This was followed by a whipping noise, like that made by slapping a rug against a post to get the dust out of it. And then the cracking of little bushes and plants, the rustling of foliage, as if a street sweeper were being drawn over them.
“Come on in!” yelled Alex.
“The water’s fine!” came Jule’s voice, but it was not so strong as it had been an hour before.
“What has been going on in there?” asked Clay. “What is that noise, that slapping, that threshing about?”