"Look here," said Ward, "does it strike you this roof's getting hot?"
Recalled to himself, Keith immediately became aware of the fact.
"The house is afire beneath us," said Ward; "we've got to get out."
"What's the matter with your ladder?" asked Keith.
"They took it away."
"We'll use mine."
They let themselves cautiously down the footholds that had been chopped in the roof, and looked over. A blast of smoke and flame met them in the face.
"Good Lord, she's all afire!" cried Keith, aghast.
The flames were licking around the scaling ladder, which was already blazing. Keith directed the stream from his hose straight down, but with no other result than to break the charred ladder.
They crawled back to the ridgepole, and worked their hose lines around to the end of the building, out of the flames. Here a two-story drop confronted them.