its usual width, and had inundated much valuable land. It had washed away many houses and farm buildings, and many towns and cities were partly under the flood.
And there was no certainty that the storm was over. True, the skies brightened now and then, but, as night fell, the heavens were overcast once more, and the wind, shifting, seemed to promise more downpours.
"I guess I'll put double water-proof wrappings on the films, to-night," said Joe, just before he prepared for bed. "I certainly wouldn't want anything to happen to them now."
Blake aided him in the work, and the boxes of exposed films were made as secure as possible against dampness and water.
In the middle of the night Blake awoke. He heard a curious roaring, throbbing noise on the deck over his head.
"What's that?" he asked, speaking aloud, involuntarily.
"More rain," answered Joe, in a low voice. He, too, had been awakened.
The storm had started again, and the drops were pelting down on the afflicted land.
"This will make the river still higher," went on Blake. "I wish we were out of this—and had the missing ones, and Charlie's folks, safe."
