can't locate any sign of smoke."

"What do you mean by brush fire?" asked Janet.

Curt looked at her sharply and then his eyes swept the rugged
countryside where the sparse grass was brown and the brush as brittle as
glass.

"It's like a prairie fire--only worse. It's even worse than a forest
fire. It spreads more rapidly. Once a fire gets started in this dry,
combustible stuff, it's almost impossible to stop it. Either a good rain
comes along or the blamed thing just burns itself out."

"But I should think you could dodge a brush fire," put in Helen.

"Maybe you could if you knew which way it was going to jump. But it
moves almost like lightning and it's on you before you know it."

The cowboy star cast an anxious eye over the rolling hills, but there
was no sign of smoke, no spear of flame to flash a warning of impending
trouble.

"Keep your nose busy and your eyes and ears on the job. You might even
stir around in the hills a bit. If you see anything that looks like it
might spell trouble, let me know. I'm going back to try and help the
driver. We'll give you plenty of time to get back before we start on if
we just happen to find the trouble."

Curt, his spurs jingling musically, strode away, and Janet and Helen
watched him go with mingled feelings. His words had aroused a very
definite sense of alarm in their minds and they were a little white as
they faced each other.

"I'm sure I smell smoke now," said Helen, sniffing intently. Janet did
likewise, but she couldn't be sure, and the breeze was getting sharper.

"We'll scout around these hills. Let's try that one," Janet pointed to a
ragged outcropping of rock that towered above the rest.

"It's going to be hard to climb," cautioned Helen.

"I know, but once we're on top we'll be able to see all over this
country. If there's any sign of a brush fire, we'll be able to see it
from there."

"I suppose you're right. Wish I had left my heavy boots on. These shoes
aren't made for this kind of walking," and Helen looked down at the
low-heeled, comfortable oxfords she wore. They were all right for street
wear, but when it came to climbing about over thin, rocky soil, they
provided only a minimum of protection.

The outcropping Janet had selected was even steeper than they had
anticipated and as they climbed, the outline of the bus in the valley
became smaller. They stopped several times to rest and on the last
occasion Janet sat down on a flat, sun-baked roc