THE BUSH OX EIEE. 
297 
breaking through, ancl soon heard the roaring and 
crashing of the fire. There was an opening in 
the bush 200 yards ahead, and I slipped a box of 
matches in my pocket, and ran for my life there, 
setting fire to the grass in a dozen places under the 
wind, which instantly roared and tore away magni¬ 
ficently ; and the wagons, whipping on through the 
smoke, had only just reached my friendly burn, 
when the fierce flames came tearing up, crossed the 
road instantly and burnt themselves out at the tail 
of the wagons, for want of fuel. The ground, how¬ 
ever, was so hot that I burnt the soles of my shoes 
badly, and the poor oxen in the yoke kept shifting 
their feet incessantly. Meantime, we were all work¬ 
ing like demons, throwing sand on the hot embers 
