"O why did the water put out the fire?
O why did the water put out the fire?"
Strongarm gave a loud call as he came up to Hickory's cave. The old man came to the door and asked what the trouble was.
"Trouble enough," growled Strongarm. "My fire is out. I came for coals."
Old Hickory gave a great roaring laugh. His wife laughed, too, as she pushed the children aside and raked out coals. These she put into a hollow branch that Strongarm handed her.
"They will keep alive in there," he said, "even if it rains."
Then with a good pine torch and his branch full of coals, he hurried home.
When Burr came back to the cave, she, too, found the fire out. There was a deer on the floor, so she knew that Strongarm had come from the hunt.
"The man has gone to old Hickory's for fire," she told her father.
"Um," said Flint, "he might have rested his legs. I can get fire from stones."
"From stones!" cried Burr, her face white.