120 



the green plumes waved far above, 

 as yet unconscious of their fate. 



We had gone over two miles, jump- 

 ing, dodging, trotting and stumbling, 

 throats and eyes smarting from the 

 smoke until the two miles seemed 

 twenty, when I saw that we were 

 leaving the region of living fire and 

 passing through a city of the dead. 

 It had been a forest of young pines 

 from four to ten inches thick, but 

 now reduced to sorry plight, a be- 

 wildering mass of charred sticks 

 streaking upwards like accusing fin- 

 gers from those in torment. In my 

 ignorance I was relieved, thinking 

 we were "out of the woods"; but 

 this proved the worst of all, for the 

 sticks toppled over without warning 

 a breath of wind, the vibration of 

 the horses' feet and fell before the 

 horses, even upon them, if they were 

 not spry a ghostly company, with- 

 out stability, threatening injury at 

 every turn. 



My clothes lashed with blackened 

 branches had the general appearance 

 of the zebra's skin. Every separate 

 muscle ached, my knees were bruised 

 from encounters with the trees which 



