He repeated this twice, and then all of the group began to shout and wave their hands.
The boys glanced at one another in amazement. What was the meaning of such an idiotic performance?
Suddenly Ned turned pale.
"Great Scott!" he exclaimed. "The dam must have broken, and those people can see the flood somewhere up the creek. They are warning us to get out of the way."
The boys instinctively turned to look behind, but the first glance revealed no cause for alarm.
"All right so far," cried Randy. "The current seems to be getting swifter though, and I actually believe the water is rising."
He had hardly spoken when Ned uttered a startled cry. "Look! look! there it comes!"
Around the sharp curve above swept a sloping volume of water, yellow with mud and foam, black with timber and uprooted trees. It came on with a rush and a swelling roar, and as the frightened boys watched it with terrible fascination, a section of a wooden bridge painted red hove in sight.
The imminence of the danger drove the Jolly Rovers into a helpless panic. Even Ned was frightened out of his self possession.
The right shore was the nearest, and the boys paddled for it with furious strokes, not remembering for an instant that it offered the least chance of safety. The swift current whirled the canoes down stream for nearly a hundred yards before it would suffer them to glide into the calmer waters along the bank.