e, as I
cook fish quite often. Didn't I see some butter and salt in the lunch
basket?"

"Yes, and, Harvey, here's just the spot to build our fire. This
straight bank back of the beach will make a good chimney for the smoke
to go up."

Harvey looked at the spot a little critically. Scrub palmettoes and
grass overhung the bank above, which made him wonder if there was any
danger of their catching fire. A little breeze was springing up, but
he decided that it was not strong enough to carry the sparks to the
undergrowth above.

So Beth gathered dry leaves and sticks of wood while Harvey cleaned the
fish. Then he applied a match to the bonfire, and it blazed up and
crackled noisily. He next placed the butter and fish in the frying-pan
and set it on the fire.

At that moment, a little rabbit darted past the children, running up
the bank towards the woods.

Harvey started after it calling:

"Come on, Beth. Maybe it will lead us to some young rabbits."

"But the fish."

"They don't need watching for awhile. Hurry on."

It was quite a climb up the bank for Beth, but she succeeded in
following close after Harvey.

The rabbit, however, had quite a start of the children, and soon they
acknowledged the uselessness of pursuit, and sat down on a log under a
tree to rest.

Harvey started to tell Beth of his experience in trying to tame rabbits.

"Yes," he said, "I've had all kinds, from young ones that had to be fed
milk out of a spoon to old ones that were so wild that they never could
be tamed. I never could raise the young ones. If they didn't die a
natural death, a cat or a dog or something would eat them up. For a
long time, I never wakened up mornings without finding a dead rabbit.
I have rows and rows of rabbit graves over on our place. You must come
over and see----"

He was interrupted by a bird that flew screeching from the tree under
which they sat. At the same instant a crackling sound caused them to
spring to their feet in terror. The woods around them were on fire.
The breeze had grown stronger, and had carried the sparks upward to the
palmettoes and pines, so full of oil. Then it was but a question of
seconds before the awful fire sped with lightning speed over the dry
undergrowth. Again, it swelled upwards on the scrub palmettoes, and
with a flash leaped skywards to the taller trees as if demons were
lifting the flames to the very heavens. It was at this point that the
children discov