66 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



days of fighting. They had checked it, 

 and if they only could have held out 

 that night, or got a fresh relay of men, it 

 would have been out by morning. The 

 fire had started in the scrub of the higher 

 ledges on the westerly side toward the 

 village, had spread both ways on the 

 long north and south ridge, and finally 

 worked its way through a gap, and 

 started down the easterly flank straight 

 toward the State reservation. Someone 

 had heard shooting up on the mountain 

 the morning that the fire started. 



Whatever else was done the reserva- 

 tion must be protected. It was clear 

 that the local gang would be useless, 

 even if called out, in their present state 

 of collapse. There wasn't a telephone 

 in the entire township, and it was a long 

 rough road to the nearest sizable place 

 where help could be had. But some- 

 thing must be done, and quickly. 



"Get back to bed, warden. We'll 

 take a scout around the mountain and 

 be back for an early breakfast. You'll 

 be feeling better by that time yourself." 



And with that the little car was off 

 for a circuit of the fire, the worst eight 

 miles of the entire night, up and down 

 breakneck hills, in and out through the 

 woods, bumping over rocks and gullies, 

 and its occupant nearly choked at times 

 with the dense acrid smoke. 



But they located the limits of the 

 fire, and found the danger points and 

 the vulnerable spots. At one place, 

 where the flames were working down to 

 within a few hundred feet of the road, 

 but coming leisurely, as fires do on the 

 down grade, they stopped and unlim- 

 bered a pump. 



"We'll just put that bit of fire to the 

 bad right now, Jim. If she jumps this 

 road, and gets to climbing the big 

 mountain across the notch here it will 

 be 'good-night.' The whole county 

 couldn't stop it in ten miles." 



A handy brook furnished the ammuni- 

 tion, and it wasn't long before their gun 

 had subdued an eighth of a mile of fire. 

 For safety's sake they swept the road 

 clear of leaves for a stretch, and after 

 refilling the pump and leaving it beside 

 the road for future use in case of need, 

 the car was started for the village. At 

 dawn they sat down to a hurried break- 

 fast with the local chief. 



"I'm thinking we can stop that fire 

 today. We've got to, that's all. Where 

 can we get fifty men? Can't you rout 

 out a few of your neighbors and get 

 them to drive around and hire some 

 men? Of course you'll have to go out- 

 side your town, but the Billboro and 

 Waytown folks will help you if you 

 shout. And I want four teams with 

 cider barrels to haul water. Now if 

 you'll get after these things we'll furnish 

 the pumps and take right hold ourselves 

 with you. What do you say?" 



Inside of half an hour three neighbors 

 were off for outside help, and the 

 warden himself was routing out his 

 town crew and impressing the cider 

 barrel outfits. Back to the mountain 

 went the district warden where he 

 found the reservation superintendent 

 with two of his men, and by seven 

 o'clock the crew began to arrive. All 

 told forty men were rounded up, which 

 made four good gangs of ten men each, 

 with two ten-gallon pumps to a gang. 

 It was high time for something to be 

 doing, for the fire had crept down closer 

 to the leaf -littered notch road at many 

 points, and it was already beginning to 

 wake up a bit for an active day. 



It was a terrible temptation to try 

 back-firing along that road, but the 

 up-to-date warden is chary of resorting 

 to that check. The risks are too great, 

 and the situation must be desperate 

 indeed to warrant this fighting of fire 

 with fire. So it was slow and heavy 

 work lugging the hand tanks up the 

 hill to assault the steadily oncoming 

 crackle. 



Forty men on a three mile line do not 

 present a very continuous front. A 

 hundred men would have been none too 

 many. It meant a stiff and steady 

 fight for the forty. While they beat 

 the flames back at one point they would 

 eat ahead at another, and gathering 

 headway, threaten to make all the work 

 unavailing. Once over that road and 

 a single spark would take it there and 

 the jig would be up. The fire must not 

 be given a chance at the slope of old 

 Whitetop across the notch. 



Up and down the road buzzed the 

 little car carrying the keen-eyed and 

 energetic State deputy, keeping touch 

 with the whole situation. Did the fire 



