out above
the treetops as from the summit of a true precipice. Almost directly
below them lay the wooded valley of Sycamore Flats, maplike, tiny. It
was just possible to make out the roofs of houses, like gray dots. Roads
showed as white filaments threading the irregular patches of green and
brown. From beneath flowed the wide oak and brush-clad foothills, rising
always with the apparent cup of the earth until almost at the height of
the eye the shimmering, dim plains substituted their brown for the dark
green of the hills. The country that yesterday had seemed mountainous,
full of canons, ridges and ranges, now showed gently undulating,
flattened, like a carpet spread before the feet of the Sierras. To the
north were tumbled, blue, pine-clad mountains as far as the eye could
see, receding into the dimness of great distance. At one point, but so
far away as to be distinguishable only by a slight effort of the
imagination, hovered like soap-bubbles against an ethereal sky the forms
of snow mountains. Welton pointed out the approximate position of
Yosemite.

They returned to camp where Welton showed the clean and painted little
house built for Bob and himself. It was quite simply a row of rooms with
a verandah in front of them all. But the interiors were furnished with
matting for the floors, curtains to the windows, white iron bedsteads,
running water and open fireplaces.

"I'm sick of camping," said Welton. "This is our summer quarters for
some time. I'm going to be comfortable."

Bob sighed.

"This is the bulliest place I ever saw!" he cried boyishly.

"Well, you're going to have time enough to get used to it," said Welton
drily.

IV

The Stone Creek fire indeed proved not to amount to much, whereby sheer
chance upheld Henry Plant. The following morning the fire fighters
returned; leaving, however, two of their number to "guard the line"
until the danger should be over. Welton explained to Bob that only the
fact that Stone Creek bottom was at a low elevation, filled with brush
and tarweed, and grown thick with young trees rendered the forest even
inflammable at this time of year.

"Anywhere else in this country at this time of year it wouldn't do any
harm," he told Bob, "and Plant knew it couldn't get out of the basin. He
didn't give a cuss how much it did there. But we've got some young stuff
that would easy carry a top fire. Later in the season you may see some
tall rustling on the fire lines."