Sandy studied the flames closely. He didn’t notice any perceptible difference in the rate of the fire, but he did notice that the smoke appeared to be rising in a more nearly vertical direction. Then, almost miraculously it seemed, the breeze died abruptly.
“My gosh!” Jerry said wonderingly. “It’s as if somebody turned off a fan.”
Quiz called their attention to the broad band of silver on the eastern horizon. “Look, it’s almost daylight. That’s the answer. It mostly always calms down at dawn and dusk.”
The fire fighters let out a thunderous cheer that was picked up all along the fire line. Macauley came striding up the slope, a big grin on his face.
“Looks like the chief outguessed me,” he admitted gleefully. “She’s gonna hold.”
With the ebbing of the breeze, the backfire and the fire head were creeping toward each other with uniform speed.
“What do we do now, boss?” Jerry asked. “All go home?”
Macauley arched his eyebrows. “You kidding, son? There’s still plenty of life in that old devil yet. She could switch off in another direction any time. Once we got this front nailed down solid, we’ll attack her from the sides and back. There’s still plenty of digging to be done for those who can swing a shovel.”
“That definitely lets me out,” Quiz groaned. “I don’t think I could even pick up a shovel, I’m so beat.”
Macauley stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I gotta admit you boys have done more than a man’s share of work for one night.”