Part 8 (1/2)
”Not when you're all together. Of course if you were alone you might break a leg or something that would leave you helpless, and you'd sure be a long way from anything to eat unless you had it with you.
”But unless we look alive the Big Interests are going to wrest away these beauty spots that we have set aside for our National playgrounds,”
Radcliffe had declared.
”That's just what Dad says!” Ace had remembered.
”And why? Not because they need the irrigation and water power of the big falls, for they can have it after the streams leave the parks, but because it would cost them a good deal less to secure these things of Uncle Sam than it would to build their projects outside Park limits.
There isn't a beauty spot in the West that some commercial interest hasn't designs on.”
”That's one thing I mean to fight!” Ace squared his chin as the DeHaviland whisked them to their particular ridge, a table mountain, or b.u.t.te, where half a dozen recruits had already been landed with tools and grub.
”Sure seems as if these fires had been set,” mused Long Lester, as Radcliffe bade them good-by,--for he had to be in a dozen places at once, that day.
”But who did it?” demanded Ace fiercely.
”No savvy dat kind feller,” said a Canadian half breed, who was just starting off with a pick. ”'E's bad feller, dat!”
”Sure is!” agreed Ace. ”I don't savvy him either,--any one who would deliberately burn--_that!_” with a wave of his arm toward the forested gorge, up which already rose a noticeable heat. The red tongues, racing through the spruce and cedar tops, shone through the smoke gloom, whence issued a distant roaring which was the wind created by the super-heated stretch of territory.
To the left, a gleaming-eyed cougar crept through the shadows, himself a shadow. To the right, a huge, furry looking shadow ran clumsily, flat-footedly. A tiny shadow hopped from almost under their feet, and above their heads flapped a small covey of lighter shadows. Writhing above the dark tops of the doomed trees rose the yellow-gray smoke that was their departing shades.
The faces of the fire-fighters were grimly blackened with smoke and grime, their s.h.i.+rts clung wet with perspiration to their swelling muscles, and their dry throats clacked when they tried to swallow.
”I'd sure like to find the fellow that started _that!_” muttered Ace.
CHAPTER V
A DARING FEAT
As sunset turned the wind down canyon, all hands made a sally down the mountain side in the hope of establis.h.i.+ng a line of back-fire, but the ground soon became too hot for them, while the air was filled chokingly with ash and char-dust. They had to retreat to the ridge. It was a night never to be forgotten.
When the wind turned at dawn,--with their line still intact,--the exhausted party took turn and turn about, s.n.a.t.c.hing a few hours' sleep, wrapped in their blankets on the rocks, or making coffee.
Ace had forgotten all about his wireless message when, shortly after noon, his own s.h.i.+p arrived. It had had a search for him, and had landed, apparently, on the very ledge of basalt where the DeHaviland had picked them up.
The beauty of the Spanish s.h.i.+p was that it was built to land on a s.p.a.ce no bigger than a house roof. It carried two propellers at the top. The pilot had only to start these and it sucked itself straight up into the air. Then he twirled the propeller on the front and sailed away, as easily as you please.
He landed by reversing these operations. He could alight on a shed roof if he had to, (provided, of course, that the roof was flat). The only danger would be if the propellers should go on strike.
”I've been getting a wireless message,” said the pilot. ”There! Better take it, Mr. King,” to Ace.
Ace's eyes grew dark as he interpreted the frantic ticking that his apparatus gave him. ”Why--_Rosa's_ sending this!--She's marooned--there at the Red Top fire-outlook!--'Fire on three sides, on fourth, rapids of Kawa River Gorge. Send help--if you can,'” he translated, while the boys waited, breathless. ”Three men where first-fire started--silver b.u.t.tons--s.h.i.+ning in the sun.”
”That sounds like Mexicans!” said Pedro.
”Now what?” asked Norris. ”Where's the Ranger, do you suppose?” But just then he saw a flaming branch blown across their line. Like tinder the dried firs burst into a shower of sparks, and with a call to the men, he darted after it. Ace remained behind to wireless, and Ted to quench their cook-fire, while Ace's pilot flung off his coat and ran after the fire fighters.