Part 73 (2/2)

”How did you leave things at the lower end?” Morton was asking him.

”All out but two or three smouldering old stubs,” replied Bob.

”Everything's safe.”

”Nothing's safe,” contradicted Morton. ”By rights we ought to watch every minute. But we got to get some rest in a long fight. It's the cool of the morning and the fire burns low. Turn in and get all the sleep you can. May need you later.”

”I'm all in,” acknowledged Bob, throwing back his blanket; ”I'm willing to say so.”

”No more fire in mine,” agreed young Elliott.

The other men said nothing, but fell to their beds. Only Charley Morton rose a little stiffly to his feet.

”Aren't you going to turn in too, Charley?” asked the girl quickly.

”It's daylight now,” explained the ranger, ”and I can see to ride a horse. I reckon I'd better ride down the line.”

”I've thought of that,” said Amy. ”Of course, it wouldn't do to let the fire take care of itself. See; I have p.r.o.nto saddled. I'll look over the line, and if anything happens I'll wake you.”

”You must be about dead,” said Charley. ”You've been up all night fixing camp and cooking----”

”Up all night!” repeated Amy scornfully. ”How long do you think it takes me to make camp and cook a simple little breakfast?”

”But the country's almighty rough riding.”

”On p.r.o.nto?”

”He's a good mountain pony,” agreed Charley Morton; ”California John picked him out himself. All right. I do feel some tired.”

This was about six o'clock. The men had slept but a little over an hour when Amy scrambled over the rim of the dike and dropped from her horse.

”Charley!” she cried, shaking the ranger by the shoulder; ”I'm sorry.

But there's fresh smoke about half-way down the mountain. There was nothing left to burn fresh inside the fire line, was there? I thought not.”

Twenty minutes later all six were frantically digging, hoeing, chopping, beating in a frenzy against the spread of the flames. In some manner the fire had jumped the line. It might have been that early in the fight a spark had lodged. As long as the darkness of night held down the temperature, this spark merely smouldered. When, however, the rays of the sun gathered heat, it had burst into flame.

This sun made all the difference in the world. Where, in the cool of the night, the flames had crept slowly, now they leaped forward with a fierce crackling; green brush that would ordinarily have resisted for a long time, now sprang into fire at a touch. The conflagration spread from a single point in all directions, running swiftly, roaring in a sheet of fire, licking up all before it.

The work was fierce in its intensity. Bob, in common with the others, had given up trying--or indeed caring--to protect himself. His clothes smoked, his face smarted and burned, his skin burned and blistered. He breathed the hot air in gasps. Strangely enough, he did not feel in the least tired.

He did not need to be told what to do. The only possible defence was across a rock outcrop. To right and left of him the other men were working desperately to tear out the brush. He grubbed away trying to clear the pine needles and little bushes that would carry the fire through the rocks like so many powder fuses.

He had no time to see how the others were getting on; he worked on faith. His own efforts were becoming successful. The fire, trying, one after another, various leads through the rocks, ran out of fuel and died. The infernal roaring furnace below, however, leaped ever to new trial.

Then all at once Bob found himself temporarily out of the game. In trying to roll a boulder out of the way, he caught his hand. A sharp, lightning pain shot up his arm and into the middle of his chest. When he had succeeded in extricating himself, he found that his middle finger was squarely broken.

VI

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