“Why, isn’t that a black bear, Jim?” he asked, pointing as he spoke.
“It sure is,” replied the guide, grinning; “an’ ’baout as skeered a black as ye cud see in a week o’ Sundays. Like as not he smelled ther smoke while he was boxed up in sum holler tree, whar he ’spected tew stay till Spring kim along. But say, he knowed what’d happen tew him; an’ forgettin’ as haow he orter be sleepin’ ther winter aout, alivin’ on his fat, he jest climbs aout, an’ scoots fur sum hole in ther ground he knows is awaitin’ fur him. He’ll git thar, awl rite, too; ’cause I never seed a bar cort in a forest fire, an’ burned tew a crisp.”
“The deer can easily escape, I suppose, being so fleet of foot?” Thad went on.
“Gin’rally speakin’ they kin,” Jim replied; “an’ thar goes wun rite naow. Look at ther way he jumps over thet fallen tree like it was nawthin’. Ef yeou an’ me hed ther gift o’ leapin’ like thet, Thad, we cud larf at forest fires tew.”
They lapsed into silence again. The smoke began to enter their lungs when they talked too much, and half choked them. It was getting darker, Thad saw; and looking up, he realized that clouds had covered the heavens; though at first he rather fancied this might be another strata of smoke further up.
“Oh! if that snow-storm Jim believes is due would only hurry, and come along,” he was saying to himself, “it might do some good in putting out this fire. While I’d like right well to see what it all looks like, still, as a fire warden, I ought to want it to be smothered as quick as possible. And between the two why, I’ll just have to take what comes, and be thankful it’s no worse.”
Then he thought of the other scouts. Were any of them in danger from the fire? He did not believe this could be the case, for, so far as he knew, there had been no plan on foot for a hunt that day, the boys being satisfied to hang around camp, and do things they had in mind.
And as they were right on the edge of the lake, if the worst came, and fire happened to sweep down upon them, the tents could be thrown into the canoes, and all hands put out upon the surface of the lake where they would be safe.
So Thad, as the one in charge of the patrol in the absence of Dr. Philander Hobbs, the regular authorized scoutmaster, made up his mind that he need not worry about his chums any more. Indeed, as the situation grew worse and worse around himself and Jim, it began to look as though he had need of all his anxiety in connection with his own condition.
Of course he relied entirely on Jim. The guide had had long experience with the fires in the pines. He had served as one of the fire wardens, and so long as he was in charge of the expedition there was no need of Thad trying to figure out any plan of campaign. Had he been alone, or with some of his companions, Thad would have striven to meet the necessities of the situation manfully, and done all in his power to outwit the flames. Now he was in Jim’s charge, and depended on the astute Maine guide to pilot him through.