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ture so full of pyrotechnics that it 

 seemed as though even here must the 

 spirit of the " signers " penetrate. We 

 noticed a peculiar haze that grew 

 rapidly denser. "A forest fire on 

 ahead," Nimrod said; and soon we 

 saw before us a great forest belt 

 where a fire had been raging for days. 

 A few forest rangers had been 

 struggling with it, but they were 

 able only to keep the greedy monster 

 from extending its sweep on each 

 side as it ate its way ravenously 

 down the wind. The broad track of 

 destruction, two or three miles wide, 

 was saddening to see tree trunks 

 lying prostrate in a smoking mass of 

 children-trees and forest growth, or 

 still upright, pointing charred and 

 maimed signals to heaven. The air 

 was grey with flying ashes and the 

 flames leaped and crackled as they 

 ran along the ground through the 

 berry bushes and dead leaves, and 

 worked along the tree branches that 

 a moment before had been beautiful 

 with life; changing all things, as at 

 the blight of a witch's wand, from 

 a riot of colour, brilliant greens, 

 browns, orange and scarlet to 



