That was the boy’s first thought as a gentle pattering resounded amidst the trees about where he stood.
He looked upward; but the sky was clear; the sun shining brightly. Clearly the pattering was not caused by rain.
“What in the world can it be?” he exclaimed, considerably startled. “Sounds as if somebody was throwing stones or gravel at me.”
The next minute a large globule of mud struck him in his upturned face. Apparently it had fallen from the sky. It was followed by a perfect storm of the mud dobs. They pattered about him in a shower, spattering his clothes and hands.
“It’s raining mud!” gasped the astonished boy, completely at a loss to account for the phenomenon.
CHAPTER XII.
JUST IN TIME.