A Prairie Fire 



ways of stopping a prairie fire is to '* back-fire," 

 as it is termed ; and a few pieces of rag tied to 

 sticks and soaked in kerosene were soon in opera- 

 tion, and though the burnt prairie extended slowly 

 against the wind, we all felt encouraged by the 

 success attending our exertions, and one elderly 

 man of our party became so excited that he 

 started to fire the other side of the road, from 

 which he was warned with shouts of laughter, 

 as this was starting another fire. To the east- 

 ward the fire had travelled away to the north, 

 but as the prairie had been back-fired outside 

 the other guard, and also carefully burnt off 

 between, we congratulated ourselves that this 

 farmsteading was safe. 



To the westward of the road the grass was 

 not so long, having been grazed off more the 

 previous summer, and as the wind was dying 

 down and the evening dew fell, the danger would 

 lessen, and we stopped for a rest. 



The burnt-out family were safely housed here 

 ;for the time beings and it may be remarked in 

 ^passing that later on a few neighbours gathered 

 to rebuild their house and stable, while a collec- 

 tion was made at a picnic in the district which 

 went a long way to replace their burnt goods 

 and chattels. 



Spring and fall in partly settled country are 



275 



