I know. Getting tired?"

"Well, I don't want to stay here all night. What are we waiting for?"

"It's hard to tell just at present, and if we don't get a more
encouraging report pretty soon we'll break the engagement and go home.
What's that?"

I listened and at first heard nothing, and was just about to say that it
must be the screech-owl come closer, when from a corner of the house
there came a distant and sharp crackle. I heard Alf scuffle to his feet.
"We are in for it!"

It was true, for now we could see the light glaring on the bushes and a
moment later a spear of light shot inward, revealing my friend standing
there with his hands buried deep in his pockets. "Those old logs are as
dry as a powder horn," he carelessly remarked. "Won't take long to burn
the thing down."

"But what are we going to do?" I cried. And now the room was aglow, and
shadows were dancing on the wall.

"I was just thinking," said he, looking about. "They'll begin shooting
in here as soon as that end is burned out. Wish I had seen that rascal
when he slipped up here to kindle this fire. Helloa, it's spread to the
roof."

I strove to show him that I could be as calm and as careless as he, but
now I was startled, and excitedly exclaimed: "We shall be burned up like
rats in a barn!"

"Oh, I reckon not. Here, let's pull up a plank out of the floor and
crawl under and if we can get into the bushes we'll be all right.
Here's a crack. But I can't move it," he added, after straining at the
board. "See if you can get your fingers through here."

I dropped upon my knees and thrust my fingers through the crack. The
fire had now gained such headway that the air was hot and a glare danced
on the wall where the shadow had crept; and we heard the Aimes boys yell
in the woods a short distance off. With all my strength I pulled at the
board; I got off my knees and braced myself, and with a quick jerk the
board came up with a loud rip and I fell backward on the floor.

"Go ahead," said Alf, quietly standing there, with his gun under his
arm. "Get down through and work your way toward the other end."

"You go first, Alf."

"I'm in no hurry. But may be I know of an opening where the sheep come
under in winter. Follow me, then."

Down we went into the fine and suffocating dust. Here and there the
sheep and the hogs had dug deep beds in their restlessness, when nights
had been cold, but in places the floor was so close to the ground that I
could