Presently they reached the floor, and found themselves in a cooling draught that came evidently from an opened door that led to the campus. They could not see the doorway for the smoke, but they knew in which direction safety lay and they turned to go.
But as they did, a strangely pitiful sound came to Jeff’s ears. It was the sharp whimper of a dog in pain and fright. It came from somewhere up the hall, and Jeff stopped and clutched Wade’s arm.
“Listen. That must be Spike, their mascot. Bet he’s caught in the building. We ought to save him, Wade, if we can.”
“Yes, but where is he? We ought to save ourselves, too, Jeff. Come on, boy. Don’t take a chance. Safety is right ahead. Let’s get out while we can.”
“You go, Wade. There, I heard him again. He must be right here somewheres. You go on out. I’ll follow directly. Just want to find that pup. Go, Wade,” and Jeff shoved his roommate ahead of him toward the door and turned back to find Spike, whose whimper he could still faintly hear.
Jeff was coughing and gagging with the smoke. His lungs felt as if they would burst for want of a breath of pure air and his head spun with the blood that was pent up there, yet he took a half dozen steps into the swirling smoke, calling at the same time in hope that the dog would come to him. Presently he found himself in the stair well again, with the thick black cloud of smoke sweeping past him. He turned and stepped aside to avoid the terrible volume of the smoke borne upward on the draught, and called again and again hopefully. But as far as he could make out not even an answering whimper was uttered.
“Perhaps he’s found his own way out. In that case I guess I’d better be going myself,” said Jeff aloud. Then turning, he started in the direction he thought the doorway lay. A half dozen steps forward he walked, groping blindly. But his hands came in contact with nothing at all. Had he gone in the right direction? No, the door was this way to the left. He moved to his left a little and tried again, only to presently fetch up against a blank wall. This startled him. Perhaps the door was here. He groped about again, panic mounting swiftly. He stepped briskly forward and the next moment he beheld with terror that he was facing tongues of flames that were advancing toward him.
Hastily he retreated. Then in his excitement he tried to recall which was the front and which was the back of the building, but for the life of him he could not remember. Then suddenly the truth dawned upon him. He was lost—lost in a strange, flame-swept building. He had heard of firemen being in similar circumstances, and he recalled with horror the fate of some of them. More than one had perished in this way. Such thoughts were far from encouraging. What should he do? Which way should he turn? The smoke was terrible—almost unbearable now. He knew that if he did not find the doorway soon he would be overcome with the fumes and gases and then he knew that he would perish.
The flames were drawing closer, too. Weird lights flashed through the swirling smoke. It suddenly seemed to Jeff that he was surrounded by fire. And he knew that he could not stay in the building much longer and not be overcome. Blindly he started in another direction, hoping again to find the stairs, or the doorway, or perchance a window through which he could get one single breath of fresh air. On he plunged until suddenly he brought up with a bump against a jutting corner in the wall. This did not help him to locate himself. Indeed it confused him more. Here were two passages, one straight in front of him, the other leading off to his right. Which way?
He started on again straight ahead, then suddenly above the roar of the fast approaching flames he heard one terror-stricken howl, followed by a series of whines. Spike again, and he was close at hand. This seemed to steady Jeff’s nerves. He stopped, listened, then called: