FIRE 89 



"Glad to see you," he grinned through this grimy 

 mask, "she's going strong, ain't she? About all we 

 can do now, I reckon, is get on top and cut a line. 

 Then fight her there, just as she starts to dip down 

 hill. There'll be a bunch out in the morning, but 

 the real work must be done to-night. If we can hold 

 her at the line till reinforcements come we'll win 

 out." 



So there began at once a three cornered race. 

 With shovel and axe and rake we worked heroically 

 to clear a fireline at the edge of the south slope of 

 Hillsboro Peak, in accordance with Eeid's directions, 

 before the line of fire should reach the position we 

 had chosen to fortify. And darkness, coming on 

 apace, promised for a time to beat us both. 



But we won. When the light in the western sky 

 faded and the jack-in-the-box stars popped out, one 

 by one ; and when finally through the gathering dusk 

 we saw the ruddy flare of fire rise threateningly 

 above the line of the ridge, we were ready. 



A line fifteen feet wide and four hundred yards 

 long, cleared to the dirt, lay along the top. Behind! 

 it, resting for a brief breath-winning spell, were the 

 fire fighters. Bakes and pine branches thickly pad- 

 ded with needles, shovels and wetted gunny sacks 

 (for the first load of water had arrived) lay ready to 

 hand. There needed nothing now to start the duel 

 but that the crawling foe, approaching nearer mo- 

 ment by moment, should reach us and assault our 

 position, It was the calm before the storm, the 



