There was thunder in the distance and a stroke of lightning.

The boys were aroused, and scrambling out of the water put on their clothing.
"A storm's coming," said Henry, who was weatherwise, "and we must get the cattle in." These sons of the forest did not fear rain, but they hurried on their clothing, and they noticed, too, how rapidly the storm was gathering.
The heat had been great for days, and the earth was parched and thirsty.
The men had talked in the evening of rain, and said how welcome it would be, and now the boys shared the general feeling.

The drought would be ended.

The thirsty earth would drink deep and grow green again.
The rolling clouds, drawn like a great curtain over the southwest, advanced and covered all the heavens.

The flashes of lightning followed each other so fast that, at times, they seemed continuous; the forest groaned as it bent before the wind.