“Rollo! Rollo!”
Rollo turned to see who it was. It was his cousin James, who was running towards him with all speed. Rollo waited for him to come up. James tried to open the gate, but could not.
“Climb over,” said Rollo.
So James climbed over, and soon reached the place where Rollo was standing, and the two boys walked on together. James said that he had come to play with Rollo that afternoon. Rollo said that he was very glad, and he told James that he and Jonas were going to make some fires in the pasture.
The heaps which Jonas was going to set on fire, were heaps of decayed wood, consisting of old stumps, logs, and roots, and other rubbish which he had gathered up from the ground and piled up in the pasture some weeks before. By being left in heaps, so that the sun and air had free access to them, they had become thoroughly dry, and were all ready to burn with a touch. There were not a great many of the heaps, for it was only a small part of the pasture which had such logs and stumps left in it. The place was on the side of a deep dell, with a brook flowing through the middle of it at the bottom. Rollo and James crossed the brook upon a log, and then ascended the steep side of the hill, among the heaps which Jonas was burning.
Jonas had set two heaps on fire and was just putting a burning brand into the third heap. Rollo and James wanted Jonas to let them set the heaps on fire. He told them that they might; and the boys accordingly went to work, taking brands from the heaps which were already burning, and carrying them to the others. The heaps were not only very dry, but quite hot, on account of the influence of the rays of the sun beating upon them; and, besides this, there was a fresh breeze blowing, which made the fires burn up very fiercely. The fires which had been first made soon became so hot, that the boys could not get near them to take any brands from them.
Thus they went along from heap to heap, setting them on fire, only Jonas succeeded in setting them on fire much faster than James and Rollo. Jonas looked around at them at one time, and he found them endeavoring to kindle a fire at a large heap which had been built up around a tall stump. The stump was twice as high as Rollo’s head. Rollo and James were kneeling down upon the ground, and blowing the end of the brand, by which they were trying to kindle the fire. But they did not succeed. Instead of that, the wind blew the smoke into their faces.
“Make the fire on the windward side,” said Jonas.
“Which is the windward side?” said James.
“The side that the wind blows against,” replied Jonas.