ough. This he accomplished by
means of a little manoeuvring, and the truant returned to the farm-yard,
where he was easily captured, and where he obtained a severe flogging
for his vagaries.

That same night the boys lay in bed talking through the open doorway
about what they would do in the morning, when a light flashed upon the
window-blind.

"How it lightens!" said Fred. "There, again, did you see that?"

His cousins had seen what he alluded to, and said so; but the light
appeared upon their blind again, and this time lasted so long, that they
got out of bed to look, when, to their horror, they could see flames
running up the side of a great wheat-stack in the farm-yard, and the
blaze every moment growing larger. They ran to the stairs and shouted
the alarm to Mr Inglis, who saw by the glare that shone through the
hall window what was the matter, and hurried out.

The boys scrambled on their clothes as quickly as possible, and upon
going out, found Mrs Inglis and all the maids upon the lawn, watching
the progress of the flames, which spread with alarming rapidity.

Mr Inglis's farm-yard was situated fully a hundred yards from the
house, so that there was no danger upon that side, and, besides, the
wind was very still, which prevented the flames spreading so fast as
they would have done. But, unfortunately, the stacks and farm-buildings
were very close together, so that it seemed very probable that the whole
of the contents of the yard would fall a prey to the flames.

When the boys reached the yard, they found everything in confusion--
people running up from the villages; then shouting, and ordering, and
contradicting, all in a breath, and everybody in a state of the greatest
excitement. The only cool person about the place seemed to be Mr
Inglis, who had already despatched a mounted messenger to the town for
the engine, and was now forming a line of men from the pond to the stack
nearest the fire, over which, by means of ladders, a great corn sheet
was laid, and this they tried to keep wet. The pails were passed
quickly along, and returned empty by another row of men; but the burning
stack roared and crackled, and the sparks flew up in myriads, while in
the glare of light the martins and swallows could be seen flitting
backwards and forwards over the flames, till one by one the poor things
were suffocated, and dropped into the burning mass. An old white owl,
too, showed itself, flapping its wings round