They set off through the snow, and in a few minutes were surprised to strike a regular country road, along both sides of which ran a barbed-wire fence.
“Hullo! this is too near civilization to suit me!” cried Harry. “We may be squatting on private property.”
“That’s so,” returned Boxy. “We’ll have to move on a mile or two.”
They passed down the road for a few hundred yards and then came in sight of a large farmhouse, directly behind which was a stable and barn and half-a-dozen out-buildings.
“I wouldn’t mind going to the house and buying some bread and crackers and a pie, if they had them,” said Andy. “Pumpkin pie would go mighty good for a change.”
“So it would!” exclaimed Boxy. “Let us see what we can strike. We can pay—— Hullo! what’s the meaning of that?”
Boxy came to a sudden halt, and so did the others. They had just seen a man run from the back of the barn and disappear in a patch of woods. Hardly had he gone when a thick cloud of smoke rolled out of one of the open doors of the barn.
“He has set that barn on fire!” gasped Andy. “My! just look at the smoke.”
“Come on, boys! we must put that fire out!” cried Harry, springing ahead.
And away they dashed at top speed toward the burning structure.