He yawned as he finally closed the book. "My! how sleepy I am, and how
late it must be," he said. "How the wind howls, too! It sounds as if
we were going to have a storm. I only hope it will bring plenty of
rain and high-water. Then good-bye to home, and hurrah for the great
river!"
By this chain of thought Winn was again reminded of Elta, and of the
forgiveness he had meant to secure from her that evening. "It is too
late now, though," he said to himself. "She must have gone to bed long
ago, and I guess I might as well do the same; but I'll see her the very
first thing in the morning."
With this the tired boy blew out the expiring flame of his lamp, and
tumbled into his bunk, where in another minute he was as sound asleep
as ever in his life.
In the mean time the high-water for which he hoped so earnestly was
much nearer at hand than either he or any one else supposed. The storm
now howling through the pines had been raging for hours about the
head-waters of the creek, and the deluge of rain by which it was
accompanied was sweeping steadily down-stream towards the great river.
Even as Winn sat by the stove reading, the first of the swelling waters
began to rise along the sides of the raft, and by the time the storm
broke overhead the _Venture_ was very nearly afloat.
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