Chapter 10. Alarming Progress Of The Flood...

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_ CHAPTER TEN. ALARMING PROGRESS OF THE FLOOD--THE CAPTAIN REMOVES HIS FAMILY TO HIGHER GROUND--THE BOYS, IN THEIR EAGERNESS TO SAVE MORE PROPERTY, ARE CUT OFF BY THE WATER

Directly on receiving the information brought by Harry and Reggy, Captain Berrington hurried down to the river, followed by Hector, Rob, and Edgar. Presently, as they looked up the dry bed between the high banks, they saw a wall of water moving on towards them, such, on a smaller scale, as might have been beheld by the Egyptians when attempting to cross the Red Sea. But this was high enough to overwhelm any human beings, or horses or cattle, which might have been in its way. The summit hissed and foamed, rising almost to the top of the bank. No streams advanced before it: it was literally a wall of water. On it came, its roar growing louder and louder. In less than a minute after it had been seen it rushed by, filling the whole bed of the river, and sending its surges up those portions of the bank which sloped more gradually.

"Back, back, boys!" shouted the captain.

They had to run as quickly as their legs would carry them to avoid the torrent. Where the ground had just before been perfectly dry there was now a hissing, foaming torrent of yellow water, carrying along branches of trees, and even big trunks. The captain, who had been joined by his brother, watched it anxiously.

"I had hopes that this was merely the result of a thunder-storm up the country," he observed; "but see, it continues to rise, which shows me that there must be a vast volume of water behind what there is here. We have some cattle feeding on the low land higher up; I trust that White has had the discretion to drive them to the upper ground."

"I fear some animals have been caught, if not ours," observed Mr Berrington. "There go the bodies of two heifers. See, here comes a third."

The captain was silent for a few minutes. "Harry!" he exclaimed, "run and tell Sandy to put the horses in all the drays, and bring them down here."

"What's that for?" asked Mr Berrington, as Harry ran off to obey the order.

"The river once came up within three feet of the house. Had it risen a foot higher it would have flooded the whole ground. It may rise two, three, or four feet higher than that. I wish to be prepared for the worst, and to save what property we can, with our wives and children, in case the house should be flooded."

The captain desired all the party to return with him, and then announced his apprehensions to the ladies. "We will breakfast first, and then pack up the most valuable portion of our property, so that we may decamp if necessary," he said, calmly. His spirit inspired the rest: even Mrs Berrington, who for a wonder had got up, ate some breakfast. The boys set to with a will.

"You know we may have some work to do, and it's wise to take in plenty of provender beforehand. We don't know when we may have time to eat again," observed Harry, cracking his third egg.

His brothers and cousins followed his example, in spite of the roaring sound which continued outside.

Biddy and Betty were busy packing up the cooking utensils, while the ladies were employed in filling their trunks with their clothes and the most valuable articles they possessed. Poor Mrs Berrington's state can better be imagined than described. Her sister's time was much taken up in endeavouring to calm her alarm. The captain again went out. The river, as he feared would be the case, had greatly increased. Still, it might possibly not rise higher than it had done before. He stuck several poles in the ground to mark its progress. The first, then the second and the third, were reached with unexpected rapidity. Already the water was rushing over the opposite bank where the ground was lowest, sweeping everything before it. There was a danger that the scrub being carried away might form a dam lower down, and, if so, create much greater damage than if the river continued open to its mouth.

"I wish the drays would come," the captain said to his brother. "We must get our wives and girls as soon as possible to the top of the ridge. I thank heaven this did not occur at night, or we might have been washed out of our beds."

Still Mr Berrington could not believe that the water would come up higher.

"Look there!" said the captain, pointing to the southward among the trees; "it is flooding the whole scrub. In a short time this place will be surrounded."

As he spoke, two or three kangaroos and several wallabies were seen in the distance making their escape into the open.

"These fellows know there is danger, or they would not be going at that rate," observed the captain.

As the drays had not arrived, Reggy offered to set off to hurry them on.

"We intend to take you for a morning drive," exclaimed Mr Berrington to his wife, in as cheerful a voice as he could command.

"But why should we leave the house?" she asked.

"Merely as a matter of precaution," answered the captain. "It is possible that the water may reach close up to us, and the ground between this and the ridge is lower, so that we should have a difficulty in crossing it should the house be flooded."

"Here come the drays," cried Rob, who had been looking out for them. Harry was driving one, Reggy another, and Bendigo a third. Sandy and the men had galloped off to gather in the cattle on the higher ground, and Bendigo and Harry had had a hard matter to put to the horses, which had caused the delay.

"There is no time to be lost now," whispered the captain to his brother. "We will load the drays as fast as we can. You shall drive your wife and mine, with the young children; the rest of us will follow as soon as we can."

Without a moment's delay the drays were loaded. Biddy and Betty, as Harry declared, "worked like troopers." The trunks and boxes having been put in, their bedding was placed on the top of them. Still there was all the furniture and various articles which it seemed a pity to leave to the mercy of the flood.

"You go on, father," cried Harry to the captain, "with the girls; Reggy, Hector, and I, with Biddy and the blacks, will soon load up with a few more things and quickly overtake you."

The captain, who was anxious to place the girls in safety, with a portion of their property, trusting to Harry's discretion, followed his advice.

"Don't delay," he shouted, pointing to the water, which was already overflowing the kitchen-garden, though it had not yet reached the road they were to cross. Hector was ashamed to ask to go with the captain, though he would infinitely rather have done so. He, indeed, exerted himself far more than he had ever been known to do before.

Biddy and Betty were as active as ever, carrying out all sorts of things, some of which might have been left behind, until Harry and Reggy pointed out what was considered of most value. Already the dray was as full as it could hold. Bendigo shouted out that it was time to be off, and jumped on the seat.

"We go now, we go now!" he cried.

Biddy and Betty clung to the hinder part of the dray, struggling in vain to get in.

"Off with you," exclaimed Harry; "we will follow on foot."

Bendigo cracked his whip, and his horses dashed forward at such a rate that it was a wonder the dray did not immediately capsize. Harry watched it anxiously as it went down a dip from which there was a gentle rise. Already a stream of water was running through the hollow, but it looked a mere rivulet, not half a foot deep, which could be passed over with a good spring.

"It is a pity we should not get a few more goods," said Harry; "although I don't believe the water will reach the house: yet, if it does, everything will be spoiled, if not washed away."

They hurried through the rooms, picking up whatever they thought most valuable. Even Hector was inspired with a desire to save something, especially several articles belonging to himself. Harry had taken a run into the kitchen, where he discovered some dampers, which Biddy in her alarm had forgotten to remove from the ashes.

"It is a pity to lose these," said Harry, clapping them into the pockets of his jacket--good capacious ones, as every bushman's should be. There was, besides, a pot of yams, by this time completely cooked.

"Here, Reggy, stow some of these away," he cried out. "The chances are that we shall not have too much to eat on the top of the hill there, unless Biddy has been more thoughtful than she appears to have been when she left these. What she could have been about I don't know!"

So busily were they engaged that they did not hear the increased roar of the waters.

"Come, you fellows, it's time to be off, I'm sure," cried Hector, who had been feeling very nervous all the time.

"Just half a minute longer," answered Harry; "I must lash these things up."

Hector, however, would not stop, and rushed out of the house. Directly afterwards he came back, looking very pale.

"The water is rushing through the hollow like a mill-sluice!" he exclaimed; "we shall lose our lives if we attempt to cross."

Harry and Reggy followed him out. He spoke too truly. They were cut off from what was now the mainland by a foaming torrent twelve yards or more in width, which was carrying along fruit-trees, rocks, and palings, whirling them round and round so that it would be impossible to swim across or to wade, even should the depth allow of their doing so. Hector threw down his load and wrung his hands.

"Stay!" cried Harry, "we've got a ladder! we may get across by that."

They all three ran back for it, and attempted to throw it across, but the channel was too wide, and it was almost torn from their grasp. It would have been lost had not Harry fastened a rope to the lower round, by which it was hauled in.

"The ladder may be useful for another purpose," observed Harry.

They lifted it up and carried it back to the house. The water was by this time rising even faster than before. The maize field, the yam and potato-ground, the orchard and kitchen-garden, were all flooded. Palings and hedges were everywhere giving way before the torrent. A rise of another foot would bring it up to the walls of the house. The floor was somewhat higher, so that it would not damage that much should the flood cease to rise when it got thus far. But would it cease? was the question. If it once began to beat against the walls of the house, would they stand? Reggy proposed climbing up to the roof by means of the ladder.

"That would be a place of very doubtful safety," said Harry.

They looked up the stream, now extending a quarter of a mile or more on either side of its original bed. The whole country around them seemed flooded, with the exception of the hill to which the drays had gone.

"I am afraid that it will reach the stock-yard," said Harry, "and it must be close to it already; if so, the cattle will have a poor chance. See, it has already carried away the hen-house, and there go the poor hens, flying away towards the nearest branches they can reach. Unfortunately, I cut the wings of a number only the other day because they would stray, and now they will all be lost."

"Oh! what shall we do? What shall we do?" exclaimed Hector.

"We are not going to lose our lives if we can help it," said Harry, who retained his presence of mind.

He was just then watching the piggeries. The torrent struck them, carrying away the palings and letting the inmates loose.

"Foolish beasts!" exclaimed Harry, "instead of swimming towards the shore they are going with their heads down the stream, taking it quite coolly. They might have been on dry ground in five minutes if they had gone in the right direction."

Notwithstanding Harry's warning, Hector insisted on getting upon the roof.

"The water would surely not rise much above the floor, and as the house had withstood the hurricane it would not be knocked down by the flood," he said.

Calling to Reggy to help him, he climbed up and took his seat on the ridge.

"Come up! come up!" he shouted to Harry and Reggy; "you will be safe enough here."

"You had better come down and get up that tree," answered Harry, pointing to one which stood on ground of the same level as the house, and but a short distance from it.

Besides its trunk there were the numerous pendants, which had struck down and taken root, so that it was more likely to resist the torrent than any other of the trees near.

Hector, however, was obstinate. He was confident that he was safe, at all events for the present, and thought he should remain so.

"I should grow giddy if I were to climb up into such a tree as that," he answered; "Reggy, you may go if you like, but I'll stay here."

Harry, who carried the ladder, placed it against the tree, which reached sufficiently high to enable them to get hold of one of the lower branches, by which they could hoist themselves higher. Harry, however, had no intention of going up until it became absolutely necessary. Still the water rose. It was now sweeping over the ground on which they stood. Reggy, again entreating Hector to come, rushed up to the tree and mounted the ladder. Just then the captain and Mr Berrington appeared in the distance. The roar of the waters prevented their voices being heard. Their alarm at seeing their boys placed in so perilous a position was, of course, very great. Harry saw them making signs and pointing to the tree.

"They want you to do as I advise," shouted Harry. "Come down! come down!"

Hector felt the house shake, as a surge beat against it larger than any of its predecessors. He lost confidence in the safety of his position.

"Slip off the roof by the verandah," shouted Harry.

At length, as he saw Harry still standing below him, not being aware that the water was over his ankles, he slid down.

When Hector discovered that he must jump into the water, he attempted to climb back again. This, however, from his alarm, and from being unaccustomed to climb, was more than he could do, and down he slid, Harry catching him at the bottom.

"Now run for it!" cried the latter, seizing him by the arm, and they made towards the ladder, the water hissing and foaming at their heels. _

Read next: Chapter 11. The Boys Take Refuge In A Tree...

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