By this time everybody was out from the house.
"Oh, mercy!" cried Aunt Sarah. "Our whole barn will be burned."
Uncle Daniel was with John now, pouring water on the flames, that were gaining in spite of all efforts to put them out.
"Where's the firemen!" cried little Freddie, in real tears this time, for he, like all the others, was awfully frightened.
The boys had a stream from the hose now, but this too was of no account, for the flames had shot up from the big pile of dry hay!
"The firemen!" called Freddie again.
"There are no firemen in the country, Freddie," Nan told him. "We have to put the fire out ourselves."
"We can't then," he went on, "and all the other barns will burn too."
There was indeed great danger, for the flames were getting ahead rapidly.
All this time the terrific thunderstorm was coming up.