Chapter 25 Summary

The rain finally comes, falling fiercely like blades from the sky. The Foxes stay dry inside their barge-like house. In the middle of the stormy night, Charlie is awakened by Mr. Haddy. Haddy has brought spark plugs, a drum of gas and oil for the outboard motor. Haddy says the river will overflow and destroy the garden. He tells Charlie that if Father will fix the outboard motor and get the family to Brewer's Lagoon, Haddy will take them to safety.

The next morning, the garden is waterlogged. Half of the seedlings are bent and have to be gently reset. It continues to rain hard over the next week, and most of the garden is washed away. Father begins to refer to the front of the house as the "bow," as if it were a boat. Father finds the drum of gasoline that...