re smoke. Look at that yellow haze up there among
the trees. Did your fire make all that smoke, Romper?" said Bruce.

"My fire--why--blame it all it's out. It's plum down to ashes--and,
gee! I didn't heat any dish water. Hi, Buster, what did you let that
fire go out for? I told you to put some wood on and heat water."

"I--I--aw, I was so hungry I forgot about it. Never mind I'll build it
again. I--"

"Say, Romper, is your fire really out?" queried Bruce, looking at the
fireplace. Then he added:

"Sure enough, but by gollies I smell some--I hope it isn't--gee, look
over to the west there above the trees: Is that smoke? Is it? Say,
fellows, can it be a forest fire? Gee, I hope not."

"Forest fire!" exclaimed half a dozen scouts.

Every lad jumped to his feet immediately and looked in the direction
Bruce was pointing. And there they beheld a pall of yellow smoke hanging
low above the tree tops. They could smell it, too. The pungent odor of
burning hemlock was so strong as to be unmistakable. Then for the first
time the lads noted that the sunlight seemed dimmed too.

"Jove, I believe it _is_ a forest fire," cried Bud Weir.

"I'll bet--say, fellows, look at those big jack rabbits, and there's a
fox, and look at the birds. It's a forest fire all right, or those
animals wouldn't be running out in the open like that and streaking it
for the lake. Cracky what'll we do? I-- Hi, Bruce, what's getting you,
you're as pale as a ghost?"

Every lad turned toward the leader of the Owl Patrol, who stood as if
stricken dumb with horror. But even as they gazed at him he shook off
the mental fetters and immediately became a lad of action.

"Fellows," he cried, "listen! There's a man in there--in the fire.
Perhaps three of them. Jiminy, you remember, Dave--Dave,
what's-his-name--Connors. You know, the fellow in camp over there with
the twisted ankle. We saw him yesterday. He's probably in there yet.
We must get him out. He can't move, and a forest fire's about the most
terrible thing in the world. Quick, fellows! Get your blankets and wet
'em in the lake. Quick, now! Follow me!"

CHAPTER XV

A NARROW ESCAPE

As usual Dave Connors awoke to find himself alone in camp that morning.
Jack and Bart, his camping companions, had left at dawn and gone out
partridge hunting exactly as they had done every day since Dave fell down
into the gully and twisted his ankle. They were thoughtful enough to