164 LAST 



Now, from afar, there came a sound 

 like the rushing of a gale through the 

 naked woods of winter. Louder and 

 still louder it became, until it resembled 

 the raging of the sea, beating against 

 some ragged cliff. The hills were blot- 

 ted out, the heavens enveloped in cloud, 

 and the darkening moors trembled un- 

 der that distant, thunderous roaring. 

 "Old Peter" heard the warning and 

 knew all that it meant. On any other 

 occasion he would have fled for his life 

 to the nearest bank, but j ust as the water 

 welled up to his feet and covered the 

 sun-dried gravel, the song of the sedge- 

 bird broke clear above the rumbling of 

 the coming spate. The old man started 

 and was transfixed. For a moment he 

 listened as if unconscious of the im- 

 minent danger. Then in a savage, surg- 

 ing torrent there came the wave of 

 murky water, almost filling from bank 

 to bank the little gorge, carrying with 



