the windows below her.

"Where is the fire department? Is it never coming?" wailed one
woman in the throng, wringing her hands.

No one here knew that the citizen who had rushed to send in the
alarm had found the first box out of order. He was now rushing
to another alarm box.

Out of the hallway came the policeman, white-faced and tottering
weakly.

"I---I couldn't get up much above the second floor," he gasped,
in a voice out of which the strength was gone. "I---I guess
the---heat and smoke got me! But---some one---must try!"

Where was that fire department?

Dick, staring over the crowd, found that all of his chums had
arrived.

"Come on, fellows!" he yelled. "We've got to do something. Follow
me!"

Prescott, after one swift glance at the buildings, made a dash
for the door of the one just to the right of the blazing pile.
Into the stairway entrance he dashed, followed by Dave Darrin,
by Tom Reade, Greg Holmes, Dan Dalzell and Harry Hazelton.

"Hurrah!" yelled some one, in infectious enthusiasm. "Dick &
Co. to the rescue!"

CHAPTER XX

IN THE LINE OF DARING

That became instantly the cry:

"Dick & Co. to the rescue!"

Yet none of the sextette heard it.

They were all inside, at the first step of their projected deed of
bravery.

"All of you but Dave run through the offices!" yelled Dick. "Some
of the tenants must have fire-rope coils. Grab the first rope
you can find and bring it to me on the roof. Hustle! Dave, you
follow me!"

Even to boys daily grilled on the football gridiron it was no
mere matter of sport to dart up five flights of stairs at fast
speed.

Dick Prescott was panting as he reached the roof and threw open
the skylight door.

But he got out on the roof, hurrying across it, doing his best,
at the same time, to gulp in chestfuls of fresh air.

Then he came to the edge of the roof next to the burning building.

The roof of that other building was about fifteen feet below the
Roof on which Dick Prescott stood.

After an instant of swift calculation young Prescott jumped.

He landed, below, on the balls of his feet, though the next instant
the momentum of the fall carried him forward onto his hands.

In another twinkling Prescott was up, running toward the front
edge of the building.

He stopped at the skylight door, but discovered that the flames
and smoke below shut off hope there. So he continued to the front
of the roof.

Here Dick glanced ba