Then the Indians repeated their wild yells, and two of them began climbing the same tree, it having sprung back to its original, more nearly perpendicular, position. It was evidently the intention of the redskins to duplicate the feat of the youths.
“Quick, let’s run down the gulch, till we come to a place where we can climb the wall,” ordered Dick.
“Look!” suddenly yelled Tom, pointing up the gulch in the direction they had before noticed the cloud denoting an impending storm.
Dick and Ben looked, and saw a wondrous sight, a wall of foaming water coming rushing down the gulch toward them at terrible speed.
“There has been a cloud-burst up the gulch!” exclaimed Dick in dismay. “We will be swept away in that torrent!”
There was no time to say much, let alone do anything, for the torrent was sweeping toward them with the speed of the wind, and as it advanced, it roared like thunder. The youths now saw that there were logs in the advancing waters, swirling and pounding, and grinding against one another.
The Indians that had started to climb the tree had slid back down to the earth, and all stood at the edge of the precipice, staring down upon the youths, whom they doubtless believed to be doomed.
And there was reason for their thinking thus, for there was terrible force in the volume of water sweeping irresistibly upon them.
CHAPTER II
Peaceful Valley
In a beautiful little valley of some three miles in length by perhaps a little less width, several farmers were at work. They were plowing up the ground and getting ready to plant a crop.