Page:Hugh Pendexter--The young timber-cruisers.djvu/160

 fighting as he had never seen men fight before to put out the blaze he had so thoughtlessly started.

With an ashamed face he followed their example, stamping and beating the little red tongues that glided here and there like so many serpents. No sooner was one spot extinguished before a patch of red bloomed in another place. The danger zone apparently was the point where the hardwood trees met the black growth. Here it was that Abner fought the hardest. Once the flames entered the tinder like carpet under the spruce and fir no human agency could stop it from spreading along the base of the ridge.

Tearing off a second bough Stanley sprinted to the spring and plunged them into the water. Then he joined Abner and was gratified to find he could kill more fire with one sweep of his weapon than the cruiser could with several blows of his. So fiercely did they labor that at the end of a few minutes only a smoking, blackened area was left to testify to their danger.

“Whew!” gasped Abner, sinking down on the dead cinders and breathing heavily.

“That’s why I pushed you,” choked Bub, following Abner’s example.