Around these were many brilliant fiery dis- 

 plays. Overheated trees in or across these 

 openings often became enveloped in robes of 

 invisible gas far in advance of the flames. This 

 gas flashed and flared up before the tree 

 blazed, and occasionally it convoyed the flames 

 across openings one hundred feet or so above 

 the earth. Heated isolated trees usually went 

 with a gushing flash. At other places this flam- 

 ing sometimes lasted several seconds, and, 

 when seen through steamy curtains or clouds of 

 smoke, appeared like geysers of red fire. 



At times there were vast scrolls and whirling 

 spirals of sparks above and around the torren- 

 tial, upstreaming flames of the fire-front. Mil- 

 lions of these sparks were sometimes formed by 

 high outflowing air streams into splendid and 

 far-reaching milky ways. In moments of general 

 calm the sky was deeply filled with myriads of 

 excited sparks, which gradually quieted, then 

 floated beautifully, peacefully up to vanish in 

 the night. 



Meantime the fire-front was pushed by wind- 

 currents and led by ridges. By the time the 



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