A PEAIEIE ON EIRE. 353 



forcibly for admiration, without exciting a thought of fear. 

 A man could break through the edging of fire with no greater 

 injury than he would find in stepping over the boxwood 

 border in the garden. 



But this bottom, clothed with an immense growth of 

 blue-joint, flags, and weeds, dried 'till they were as inflam- 

 mable as pine shavings, when on fire conveyed, while 

 there was abundant room for admiration, an idea of the 

 power of the destructive element, that almost appalled me 

 with its ferocity. The night on the occasion of which I 

 speak was dark and still. Heavy clouds hid every star 

 from view, and there was no wind. The fire originated in 

 the extreme South-east corner of the bottom, and might 

 have been caused by a spark from a passing steamboat. 

 The residents on the verge of the woods seeing the light, 

 at once commenced firing the dry grass in their neigh- 

 borhood, so as to "back fire" away from doing injury to 

 the timber, fences, and stacks at the foot of the bluffs. 

 Scarcely a quarter of an hour had elapsed before there 

 was a perfect cordon of fires surrounding the whole extent, 

 and, following the irregular outline at the base of the 

 hills, it could be compared to a huge serpent; gliding in 

 glowing folds, and throwing off scintillations from its 

 luminant scales. The advancing columns drew along very 

 placidly, streaming directly upwards in the still air. It 

 was not long ere the smoke began to wave and surge, and 

 the flames to leap higher, and the crackling sound was 

 soon joined to a sibilant, purring noise, and currents of 

 air began to draw through the notches among the bluffs, 

 and strangely moan in the dwarfed red cedars that fringed 

 the rock where I was seated. The murky clouds absorbed 

 the red light from the fire, which had now become exten- 

 sive enough to illuminate the bluffs, and cause the lesser 

 stream to look like one of blood. The wailing and sighing 

 of the wind increased, the columns of fire swayed, shook 



