nd ran, leaving his beloved ox to its fate. The ox
thus left to himself tried to run, too, but the plough became caught on
a small tree and held it fast.

As the flames approached, the poor animal bellowed with fear and pain,
and struggled wildly, but unsuccessfully, to get free. It would have
certainly fallen a victim to the flames had not Mark, who had been busy
lighting back-fires, seen its danger and ran to its rescue. Cutting the
rope traces with his pocket-knife, he set the ox free; and following
the example of its master, it galloped clumsily across the open field.
The ox fled with such a bellowing and such a jangling of chains that
poor Joe, who was hidden behind a great stump on the farther side of
the field, was nearly frightened out of his few remaining senses when
he saw this terrible monster charging out the fire and directly upon
him. He threw himself flat on the ground, screaming "g'way fum yere!
g'way fum yere! Luff dis po' niggah be; he ain't a-doin' nuffin."

Afterwards he was never known to speak of this adventure but once, when
he said,

"I allus knowed dat ar ok was somfin better'n common; but when I see
him come a-rarin' an' a-tarin', an' a-janglin' right fo' me, I 'lowed
'twas ole Nick hise'f come fo' Black Joe, sho nuff."

As the other ploughmen were driven from their work by the heat and the
swirling smoke, they set back-fires all along the line, and retreated
in good order to the house. Here, although the heat was intense and the
smoke almost suffocating, they made a stand. Mrs. Elmer and Ruth had
already taken refuge on the ferry-boat, from which they watched the
progress of the flames with the most intense anxiety.

Under Mr. Elmer's direction the men covered the walls and roof of the
house, which had already caught fire in several places, with wet
blankets and carpets, and poured buckets of water over them. From these
such volumes of steam arose that poor Ruth, seeing it from a distance,
thought the house was surely on fire, and burst into tears.

So busy were all hands in saving the house that they paid no attention
to the out-buildings, until Aunt Chloe, who had been working with the
best of the men, screamed, "Oh, de chickuns! de chickuns!"

Looking towards the hen-house, they saw its roof in a bright blaze, and
Aunt Chloe running in that direction with an axe in her hand. The old
woman struck several powerful blows against the side of the slight
building, and broke in two boards b