Quiz pointed to a stack of digging implements off to one side. “There’s the stuff I was telling you about. But first let’s go up to the top and have a look around.” He started up the steep, grassy slope that ran up about 200 feet to the summit.
The top of the hill was littered with rocks of all sizes and shapes. The boys scrambled up on an enormous boulder, where they had a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding countryside. Up here, the force of the wind was so great that they had to crouch on hands and knees to keep from being toppled over. On the west slope, a slow but determined grass fire was burning all around the base of the hill. But they had never seen anything to match the fury of the crown fire raging all around them. A quarter of a mile behind the hill, the twin fronts had finally united, sealing off the last corridor of escape. They were now literally isolated on an island in the midst of a sea of flame. A shifting current of air sent a hail of hot coals and blazing twigs raining down on the hill.
“Ouch!” Jerry beat out a spark that was sizzling on the wet material of his pants.
Smoke spiraled up from several spots on the grassy slope away from the fire.
“Come on!” Sandy yelled, leaping off the boulder. “We’ve got to beat those out before they really get started.” He ran down the slope to the nearest place where the grass was smoldering and stomped on the sparks with his boots.
Jerry went to another danger spot farther down the slope, while Quiz spotted one in a patch of heavy brush far to the left. As Quiz leaped feet-first into the bushes, Sandy, who was looking in that direction, was startled to see his friend unexpectedly disappear as if the earth had swallowed him. He heard the rattle of falling earth and stones, followed by a cry of pain.
“Quiz!” he shouted in alarm, and started over in that direction.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
An Unexpected Find
With relief, he heard Quiz’s voice. “Watch your step! There’s a big hole over here.”
Sandy advanced cautiously to the rim of a crater hidden in the high brush. “Good night!” he said anxiously, as Quiz’s head poked into view. “This is your unlucky day. Did you hurt yourself?”