population of two thousand, scarcely five hundred escaped. Flight was
hopeless and rescue impossible."

"And could this have been stopped after it got a hold at all?" asked
Wilbur seriously, realizing the gravity of the conditions that some day
he might have to face. "Could not something have been done?"

"It could have been prevented," said the Chief Forester fiercely, "and
as I said, in the first few hours either one of you boys could have put
it out. But there have been many others like it since, and probably
there will be many others yet to come. Even now, there are hundreds of
towns and villages near forest lands utterly unprovided with adequate
fire protection. Some of them are near our national forests, and it is
our business to see that no danger comes to them.[1] Think of a fire
like that of Peshtigo, think that if it had been stopped at the very
beginning a thousand and a half lives would have been saved, and then
ask yourself whether the work of a Forest Guard is not just about as
fine a thing as any young fellow can do."

[Footnote 1: While this volume was in the press, forest fires of the
utmost violence broke out in Idaho, Washington, and Montana. Over two
hundred lives were lost, many of them of members of the Forest Service,
and hundreds of thousands of acres of timber were destroyed.]

Wilbur turned impulsively to his chum.

"You'll just have to join us, Fred," he said. "I don't see how any one
that knows anything about it can keep out. You could go to a forestry
school this summer and start right in to get ready for it."

"I'll think about it," said the older boy.

The Chief Forester was greatly pleased with the lad's eagerness to
enroll his friend, and, turning to him, continued:

"I don't want you to think it's all fire-fighting in the forest, though,
Loyle; so I'll give you an idea of some of the other opportunities which
will come your way in forest work. I suppose both of you boys hate a
bully? I know I used to when I was at school."

"I think," said Wilbur impetuously, "that a bully's just about the worst
ever."

"I do, too," joined in Fred.

"Well, you'll have a chance to put down a lot of bullying. You look
surprised, eh? You don't see what bullying has to do with forestry? It
has, a great deal, and I'll show you how. I suppose you know that a
forest is a good deal like a school?"

"Well, no," admitted Wilbur frankly, "I don't quite see how."

"A forest is made up of a lot of dif