themselves upon the door. It quickly gave way before
their combined assault. They pushed into the room. The smoke had gained a
footing here, but on account of the closed door it was not nearly so
bad as in the halls.

Immediately they saw a figure stretched across the bed. The balloonist
had evidently been overcome by sleep before he thought to undress, and
dropped over just as he had come from his lame brother's house.

"Wake up, professor, the house is on fire!" shouted Frank in the ear of
the man.

Jerry, meanwhile, was shaking him vigorously; but all their efforts
seemed to be of no avail. The man slept on as peacefully as though a
babe, such was the power of the drug he had taken.

"We can't stay here long," said Frank, as the smoke thickened in the
room. "And as he won't wake up, why, we'll have to try and carry or drag
him down."

Fortunately, the man was not a very large person, or they might have
despaired of ever accomplishing such a thing.

"Take hold on that side, Jerry. Now, lift, and drag his heels. That's the
only way we can do," exclaimed Frank, who feared that even short as their
stay in that room had been they would find conditions changed for the
worse when they again reached the hall.

The professor paid not the least attention to what they were doing. He
had possibly taken an overdose of his sleeping-powder, and only for the
coming of the two chums must have perished miserably, like a rat in a
trap.

When Frank threw open the door of the room again he uttered a cry of
alarm. The back stairway was a mass of flame. Although hardly more than
two minutes had passed since they came up those stairs, it was now
manifestly impossible to pass down again.

He slammed the door shut and found Jerry staring at him in the half
light.

"Talk to me about your fiery furnaces, that beats them all!" exclaimed
Frank's chum, as he let go the professor's shoulders. "What shall we do
now?"

Frank ran over to the window and threw up the sash. He looked out and
then came back to where Jerry stood, trembling with excitement. Frank was
as cool as ever in his life.

"There's a chance, Jerry," he shouted. "No fire below! Take hold here;
tear up these sheets and knot them into a rope. Work for your life, and
if the fire only holds back we may be able to save both the professor and
ourselves! But work! work!"

CHAPTER III

HEADED SOUTH

They did work with a vim, for the smoke was getting more oppressi