Soon the storm was on them in all its fury, the fierce blasts of wind hurling the fire all around them. Then came flash after flash of vivid lightning, and thunderbolts that seemed to fairly split the heavens. A deluge of rain followed, causing the fire to hiss and steam and send out huge volumes of black smoke that all but suffocated them. The horses and mules were tied up with their heads close to the ground, and each person of the party hurled himself flat.
It was a grand display of natural elements, but it cannot be said that anybody in the party enjoyed it. All were grateful for the rain, but as the lightning continued, and one tree after another in that vicinity, was struck down, each was awed into utter silence.
At last came a lull and the center of the storm passed to the northward. The rain still fell in torrents, but to this they paid little attention. The worst of the smoke was clearing away, allowing them to breathe more freely. One by one the men arose and began to look after the frightened horses and mules. One horse had gotten away, and sped into the burning territory, and he was never seen again.
"Well, I guess this is the last of the fire," said Owen, as he arose. "This rain looks as if it would hold out for the rest of the day."
"What do you think Gilroy will do next?" questioned Dale.
A consultation was held, and the foreman decided to lead the way back to the cabin, as soon as the trail was safe. They went into a temporary camp, and there, under some wide-spreading trees, untouched by the flames, remained until daybreak.
The next day the rain continued, although much more lightly than before. Some food had been brought along, and a hasty breakfast was prepared. As soon as they had eaten, the return to the abandoned camp was begun.
It was discovered that the stables had been completely consumed by the fire, along with two shanties and a tool house. The cabin still stood, with only a small corner gone. But it was water-soaked, and filled with a burnt smell far from pleasant, and would need a good deal of cleaning and patching before it could again be inhabited.
"The timber isn't as bad as I thought," said the foreman, after an inspection. "But the loss is enough to make Mr. Paxton feel sick;" and so it proved.
As there was nothing to do until the owner of the place could be heard from, Dale and Owen took the next day off to visit the Wilbur lodge, and return the horses that had been loaned to them. They found the buildings had not been touched by the fire, but the flames had eaten well into the forest of the preserve, and the beautiful driveway that Jefferson Wilbur had had made at considerable expense was littered with fallen trees and half-burnt shrubbery.