wards us, and making respiration difficult. While Uncle Mark took
charge of the waggon, the rest of us drove on the other animals,
directing our course to the settlement by the only open road. We knew,
indeed, that in a short time we might have the fire on both sides of us.

The flames rose up high above the tops of the trees in the rear. The
crackling of the burning branches, and the loud reports as the thick
trunks were split in two by the heat, sounded alarmingly near--the whole
landscape before us being lighted up by the glare shed from the burning
forest. We might, we believed, escape with our lives, were we to leave
the waggon and the cattle, but that was very far from Uncle Mark's
thoughts. By voice and whip we urged on the oxen, and shouting,
shrieking, and using our thick sticks, we endeavoured to drive forward
our refractory charges.

The inhabitants of the village must have seen the conflagration long
before this, and would, we hoped, be preparing for their escape.

I remembered the fire on the prairie. Then only the grass was burning,
but now we should soon have the tall trees in flames on both sides of
us. In a few minutes the flaming masses might be tumbling down on our
heads, and overwhelming us. The thought of this prevented us from
relaxing our efforts. We ran here and there flourishing our sticks,
shouting and bawling till we were hoarse; still, we kept ahead of the
fire, although it was advancing rapidly in our track. The hut,
outbuildings, and enclosures must already, we knew, be reduced to a mass
of cinders; but there was no use thinking about that. We should be
fortunate, did we preserve the more valuable part of our property.

At length the road became wider, and we got among clearings, which would
somewhat stop the progress of the flames, did they not impede them
altogether. We dared not halt, however, but pushed on, directing our
course to the south side of the village, where the country was
completely open, and no trees left standing. The river, too, ran in
that direction, and some flat marshes on the banks would afford security
to all fugitives.

I was thinking all the time of Lily, and my uncle and aunt; and had not
my duty compelled me to remain with the cattle, I would certainly have
hurried on to warn them, in case they should not have discovered their
danger. However, I felt sure that Uncle Mark would not have forgotten
them, and that he was satisfied they would take the