“Watch us!” cried Bob, turning to the instrument. “Where to?”
“Villages in the district,” replied Mr. Bentley. He had already turned toward the door. “Ashley and Dawnville are in the path of the fire. Our wireless will be busy directing the fight. After warning the villages, send out calls for help in all directions. We’ll need men, men and more men!”
“Is it so bad, then?” asked Herb, his eyes gleaming.
Mr. Bentley did not answer except by a nod of the head. But the lines about his mouth had deepened.
Then the door slammed to after the men, and the boys turned feverishly to the instrument. Static put up a fight, but they finally managed to get Ashley, then Dawnville.
“Perry is just a little way further on,” suggested Joe. “Better get them too, Bob.”
Bob got Perry and then started broadcasting the call for men, men and more men. And when they were satisfied they had done all they could do with the radio, the boys pulled on jackets and hats and hurried to swell the numbers of the defenders.
Jimmy who, in his excitement, had forgotten what had happened to him, went with them. To Bob’s suggestion that he stay at the lodge for a while and join them later, he stubbornly refused to listen.
“Think you’re going to do me out of this, do you?” he cried. “Well, I guess not! If anybody stays at home, it isn’t going to be me.”
The boys had no time to argue with him, if they had wanted to. They knew that in a terrific wind such as this a forest fire can become a hideous thing, burning up whole tracts of valuable lumber, sweeping down upon villages and leaving terror and destruction in its wake.