here was
really no time to lose, however, for the fire seemed to be getting
a pretty good headway, and any delay was likely to imperil their chances
of success.

They had to get down on their hands and knees and crawl part of the
way across. Had they been less agile they never could have made it,
and just here it was seen how wisely the scout master had acted when
he failed to choose clumsy if willing Billy Worth as one of their
number.

Once upon the smaller roof covering the turret tower, Hugh found that
it was a matter of impossibility to lower themselves so as to gain
the slits of windows in the walls, made more for appearances than
for any particular use. And even though they were able to reach one
of these he doubted whether any of them could manage to crawl through.

There was nothing for it then but to attack the roof with the ax,
which Alec had managed to cling to through all his climbing. Hugh
snatched the implement from the hands of his churn, and went at it.
The ax bit into the roof with each hearty blow, and Hugh worked like
a beaver, knowing that there was constant danger they might be caught
by the creeping flames before their object had been accomplished.

Afterwards, when speaking about their experiences up there on that
roof, Alec and Monkey Stallings always declared they had never seen
any one wield an ax with more telling effect than Hugh did on that
wonderful occasion. Those who were below had a fair view of what
was going on aloft, whenever the wind carried the smoke aside, as
their encouraging cheers testified from time to time.

When Hugh found his muscles beginning to lag, he handed the implement
over to Alec, knowing the other must be fairly wild to have a hand
in the labor. How the chips did fly and scatter with each and every
blow of that descending ax! Alec put every ounce of vim he could
muster into each stroke, while if he faltered there was Monkey Stallings
opening and shutting his two hands as though eager to take up the
good work.

Then came the critical moment when the ax cut through, and a small
gap appeared out of which a spiral of smoke began to ooze. Larger
grew the hole, and then Alec, dripping with perspiration, fairly gasping
for breath, handed the ax over to the third member of the group, after
which the work continued furiously.

Finally Hugh stopped Monkey Stallings and made motions that he was
about to go through the aperture. The others saw him vanish, and