tell of numerous fires that were set by lightning. 

 Before this fire, which was in the Sangre de 

 Cristo Mountains, had died out, a lightning-set 

 fire in the mountains of central Colorado had 

 attracted my attention with massive, magnifi- 

 cent smoke-clouds, which were two or three 

 thousand feet above the mountain-tops. Though 

 thirty miles distant, these clouds occasionally 

 took on the bossy white splendor of big cumuli 

 assembling for summer rain. I resolved to see 

 the fire at close range. 



Until burned territory was reached, I fol- 

 lowed along sky-line ridges through changing 

 conditions of clear sky, smoke, and falling ashes, 

 ready for swift retreat down a slope in case the 

 fire advanced under smoke cover and surprised 

 me. The burn was entered at the first edge I 

 reached. Millions of seared and blackened trees 

 were standing steadfastly where they had died 

 at their post. All twigs and leafage were burned 

 away, but the majority of the trees still carried 

 their larger limbs and patches of bark. In 

 places only the tree-trunk, a fire-carved totem 

 pole, remained. Whirlwinds of flame had 



'135 



