"Why?" I demanded.
"Suppose," he shouted, "that those fish should begin to jump and feed on
the bats again?"
I had never thought of that.
I rose and hurried nervously down to the shore, and, making a megaphone
of my hands, I shouted:
"Come in! It isn't safe to remain out any longer!"
Scornful laughter from the artillery answered my appeal.
"You'd better come in!" I called. "You can't tell what might happen if
any of those fish should jump."
"Mind your business!" retorted Mrs. Batt. "We've had enough of your
prevarications--"
Then, suddenly, without the faintest shadow of warning, from the centre
of the lake a vast geyser of water towered a hundred feet in the air.
For one dreadful second I saw the raft hurled skyward, balanced on the
crest of the stupendous fountain, spilling ladies, supper, guitars, and
knitting in every direction.
Then a horrible thing occurred; fish after fish shot up out of the storm
of water and foam, seizing, as they fell, ladies, luncheon, and knitting
in mid-air, falling back with a crashing shock which seemed to rock the
very mountains.
[Illustration: "Then a horrible thing occurred.
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