“Look!” gasped Amy, hoarsely, grasping Jessie’s arm and pointing upward. “The top branches of these trees have caught! We can’t fight it, up there.”
The order was given and they retreated some twenty yards. The work was to be done all over again, new trenches dug, new branches hacked away, more fighting of those insidious ribbons of flame darting slyly through the underbrush.
“Come on, Nell,” cried Jessie, hoarsely, brandishing her sack. “See where the fire is spreading over there? Quick!”
Nell followed her, and together they beat out that fresh assault. They rested for a moment, panting, only to rush to another spot where the flames had gained a foothold.
They caught sight of the boys now and then, and their hearts swelled with pride as they saw the look upon their faces and the gallant way they fought shoulder to shoulder with the older men.
If Darry were only there, in his place, beside them! Oh, where was Darry?
Once when they stopped to gain a breath they were surprised to see Miss Alling rushing up to them. On her face was the determined expression they had come to know so well.
“They need more men out here,” Miss Alling shouted. “And when it comes to work I am as good as any man.” And as though to prove her words she went to work with a will and a fresh new energy that further inspired the tired girls.
Suddenly it seemed that they were gaining ground. The wind had shifted and was bearing the flames backward over the charred and ravaged territory.
The rangers closed in, working fiercely to make the most of this advantage, striving to conquer the flames before the fickle wind could change again.