Then the darkness thickened and the storm's fury burst upon
the crowd--a mad lashing of bending tree tops, a blinding whirl
of dust filling the air, the thunder's terrific cannonade,
the incessant blaze of lightning, the rattling of the distant rain;
and above all these, unlike them all, a steady, dreadful roaring,
coming nearer each moment.

Professor Burgess was no coward, but he had little power of generalship.
As the crowd huddled together under the swaying trees,
Trench called to Burleigh:

"There's been a cloudburst up stream. The roar I've been hearing
is a wall of water coming down. We've got to get out of this."

Then above all the crashing and booming they heard Vic Burleigh's voice:

"Every fellow take a girl and run for the ford. Come on!"

In the darkness, each boy caught the arm of the girl nearest him and
made a dash for the ford. A flash of lightning showed Burleigh that
the white-faced girl clinging to his arm was Elinor Wream. After that,
the storm was a plaything for him.

The first to reach the ford were Vincent Burgess and Dennie Saxon. Dennie was
sure-footed and she knew by instinct where to find the shallows.
But the river was rising rapidly and the waters were black and angry
under the lightning's glitter. As the crowd held back Vic shouted:

"You'll have to wade. It's not very deep yet. Professor, you must
cross first, and count 'em as they come. Go quick! One at a time.