"No time," she answered, with a nod towards the shore.
"You will have to pole us out, as far as you can, and then we must drift."
"It is the only way," she agreed. "Fortunately this lake seems very shallow."
Ten minutes later the pole failed to touch bottom, and a current of water setting across the lake began to drift them well from the shore. As he saw that, Stane gave a sigh of relief.
"You can sit down and rest now, Miss Yardely. There is nothing further to be done for the present. It is a case of time and tide now, but I think we are perfectly safe."
Helen glanced towards the shore, and gave an involuntary shudder. The fire was running through the forest like a wild beast. Clouds of smoke, black or leaden-coloured rolled in front, the vanguard of the destroyer, and out of them leaped spouts of fiery sparks, or long tongues of yellow flame, and behind this, the forest under the fan of the wind was a glowing furnace. She looked at the belching smoke and the rocketing flames and listened to the roar of it all, fascinated.
"How terrible," she cried, "and how beautiful."
"The Inferno!" said Stane. "I've seen it before."
"And you wanted me to leave you to that?" she cried.
"Pardon me, no! I did not want you to be caught in it, that is all! Listen!"