thought it was all up with
us. The wall of red roaring flame had reached the other side, and
the flame was leaping from the top of one pine to another, making
them one shape of quivering red, like Christmas evergreens in the
fire, a huge tree perhaps standing up all black against the lurid
light, another crashing down like thunder, the ribbon of flame
darting up like a demon, the whole at once standing forth a sheet of
blazing light. I verily believe I should have stood on, fascinated
with the horror and majesty of the sight, and feeling it vain to try
to escape, when the burning wings were spreading to enclose the
clearing and us with it, but Randolf urged me on, and we plunged
through the bush at the best speed we could make, the smoke rolling
after us, and the heat glowing like a furnace, so as to consume all
power out of us. It was hell itself pursuing after us, and roaring
for his prey, the trees coming crashing down, and shaking the earth
under our feet, the flame absolutely running on before us upon the
dry grass and scrub, and the scorching withering every drop of
moisture from us, though not ten minutes before, we had been
streaming at every pore.

'I saw green reeds before us, heard Randolf cry out, "Thank God," and
thought I was plunging after him, when I found myself on the ground,
and the branches of a hemlock covering me. Happily they were but the
lesser boughs, and not yet alight; and at his own desperate peril,
Randolf came back with his axe, and cut them off, then dragged me
after him into the mud. Never bath more welcome! We had to dispute
it with buffaloes, deer, all the beasts of the wood, tame and cowed
with terror, and through them we floundered on, the cold of the water
to our bodies making the burning atmosphere the more intolerable
round our heads. At last we came to an island, where we fell upon
the reeds so much spent that it was long before we found that our
refuge was shared by a bear and by Randolf's old cow, to the infinite
amaze of the bull-frogs. The Fire King was a hundred yards off; and
a fierce shower, brought from other parts by his unwarrantable
doings, began to descend, and finally quenched him in such smoke that
we had to lie on our faces to avoid stifling. When the sun arose,
there was Lakeville in its woods on one side, on the other