and white flames flared upward more than one 

 hundred feet, stood gushing for a few seconds, 

 and then went out completely. The other trees 

 in close succession followed and flashed up like 

 giant geysers discharging flame. This discharge 

 was brief, but it was followed by every needle 

 on the trees glowing and changing to white in- 

 candescence, then vanishing. In a minute these 

 leafless lodge-poles were black and dead. 



The fire-front struck and crossed the lodge- 

 pole thicket in a flash ; each tree flared up like a 

 fountain of gas and in a moment a deep, ragged- 

 edged lake of flame heaved high into the dark, 

 indifferent night. A general fire of the dead- 

 and-down timber followed, and the smelter heat 

 of this cut the green trees down, the flames 

 widely, splendidly illuminating the surrounding 

 mountains and changing a cloud-filled sky to 

 convulsed, burning lava. 



Not a tree was left standing, and every log 

 went to ashes. The burn was as completely 

 cleared as a fireswept prairie; in places there 

 were holes in the earth where tree-roots had 

 burned out. This burn was an ideal place for 



159 



