“Funny, I wonder where they are?” muttered Buck.
“Look, somebody crossing the brook with a lantern!” cried Bob, pointing.
They saw a lone figure crossing the stones of the brook below the spot where the creek was deep enough to swim and Buck was sure that the figure was Ted. They were so high up and far away that they were unable to tell accurately, but it looked to be the figure of the camp leader. He entered the circle of light near the fire, the lantern swinging by his side.
Then something else claimed the attention of the boys on top of the mountain. A flicker of light came to them from the top of the ridge back of the springs and then a bush flamed. They saw the camp boys come running out of their tents and look toward the fire, then scurry off toward the truck at the edge of the camp.
Buck wasted no more time. “Come on, fellows!” he called, as he started off. “The woods are burning! We’ve got to help the camp squad!”
CHAPTER XX
A VISIT TO HOGS’ HOLLOW
The words which Ted shouted to the boys in the tent struck them dumb for a moment, but to their ears was borne the sound of the snapping and crackling. They rushed out of the tent into the open space of the camp, to see the dry pine grove above them glowing with fire.
Ted was running toward the truck for pails and the boys, awakening to the seriousness of the situation, followed him. Some of them made a hurried trip to the cooking supplies which were piled near the fireplaces, snatching up the pots and pans. Ted pulled out all of the pails which were in the truck and handed them around as fast as possible.
“Get water from the spring and go to it!” he cried, passing out the last pail. Then, seizing one which he had reserved for himself, Ted ran up the slope, stopped at the spring to dip out a supply of water, and then went on to the thicket where the fire blazed.
The pine grove had been a dry place with an accumulation of dry leaves and dead bushes and the whole thicket was now a raging furnace. The month had been dry and except for the big storm which had so thoroughly soaked them the boys had not experienced any adverse weather. The woods, as a consequence, was in a receptive mood for a fire, and Ted’s heart misgave him as he saw the blaze before him.