The horses were already unpicketed, and half of the party held them
at a short distance in the rear, while the rest stood in readiness
to extinguish the fire if it crossed the cleared space.
Over and over again the fire crept partially across--for the
clearing had been done but roughly--but it was speedily stamped out
by the heavy boots of the watchers.
The spectacle, as the fire swept away before the wind, was fine in
the extreme. The party seemed includes between two walls of fire.
The main conflagration was now fearfully close, burning flakes were
already falling among them, and the sound of the fire was like the
hiss of the surf upon a pebbly beach.
"Now," Mr. Hardy said, "forward with the horses. Every one to his
own animal. Put your ponchos over your own heads as well as your
horses."
In another minute the party stood clustered upon the black and
smoking ground which the fire they had kindled had swept clear.
There, for five minutes, they remained without moving unscorched by
the raging element around them, but half-choked with the smoke.
Then Mr. Hardy spoke: "It is over now. You can look up."
There was a general expression of astonishment as the heads emerged
from their wrappers, and the eyes recovered sufficiently from the
effects of the blinding smoke to look round.
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