"Good! Keep the water on that blaze and we'll have the fire out in about twenty minutes. More smoke than anything else!"
Reynolds and McCabe, the fellow he had helped, came running up to Judd.
"They're all out!" cried McCabe. "Some job, though—most everyone suffocated. I never had such hard work getting awake in all my life!"
"Fetch the lantern," ordered Judd, pushing ahead into the store-room, having extinguished the fire about the head of the stairs.
The forceful stream of water soon produced a telling effect on the flames. There was a loud hissing noise and white clouds of steam. Then the last tongue of flame slowly died out and all was darkness, save for the light shed by the lantern.
"Hurrah, we're heroes!" grinned McCabe.
The smoke was still treacherously thick. Neither Judd nor Reynolds saw any humor in McCabe's exclamation at that moment. Judd continued to pour water into the charred room. Some students at the second floor landing ventured up cautiously.
"Smudge over?" asked one.
"Mostly!" replied Judd.
"That sure was a bad one for so little a fire. Four of the nine fellows who were suffocated haven't come to yet!"