“This way, Dan!” he shouted encouragingly. “Follow me.”
Sloshing through water and mud, they reached the barrier fence and climbed over. The blinding sheet of rain all but blotted out a view of the pavement.
“We’re safer here anyhow,” Brad said as they emerged from the woodland. “Brother! Is this a storm?”
The rain showed no signs of slackening. However, now that the boys were in a cleared area, the wind seemed less menacing.
“It’s dropping a little,” Brad observed, studying the treetops along the pavement. “The crest of the storm probably has passed.”
“But the rain is still wet,” Dan shivered. “And it’s steady. No sign of a let-up.”
Along the ditches, muddy water was rushing at a furious rate, draining toward the nearby river.
The two boys scarcely knew which direction to go. They could recall no houses close by where they might seek shelter. The nearest habitation was Mr. Holloway’s camp across the river, but they had no boat.
“There’s a filling station up the road about a quarter of a mile!” Brad recalled, shouting to make himself heard above the roar of the wind. “Let’s go there!”
Dan nodded and followed his companion. Rain drove directly into their faces, closing off their view and making it difficult to walk.