I think you've saved us from a real disaster by your insistence,
Jack," he said. "I'm certainly glad that we took your advice."

The roaring of the fire could be plainly heard now. The smoke was so
thick that all of them went around with wet cloths tied over their
mouths, and smoked glasses to protect their eyes. Even the guides
looked serious, and seemed to have a new and greater respect for Jack
Danby and the precaution he had forced them to take.

"Never saw nothin' like this," said one of them. "Never in all the
years I've been in the woods. The youngster sure do know a fire when
he sees it."

"I'm sorry I laughed at you, Jack, old man," said Jim Burroughs,
choking as he spoke. "You certainly had the right dope on this fire.
Gosh, listen to it roaring back there!"

The ditch was in the form of a rough half circle, and went completely
around the Benton clearing. It was dug so that the brook from the
ridge ran into it and filled it, and a space of a foot or so was left
untouched at each end of it where it reached the lake. This made a
natural dam, and held the water in, so that, as the brook continued to
flow in, a small pond was formed behind the clearing, just as Dick had
suggested. That made a wide space for the fire to leap, and Jack felt
that, even if the fire swept completely around his ditch, the men in
the clearing, by constant vigilance, would be able to beat out any
sparks and flying embers that might otherwise have set fire to the
buildings. But, as a further precaution, the boats of the camp, with
water and provisions, were kept ready, so that the family might take to
the lake if the need arose.

"Gee," said Pete, suddenly after nightfall, "we forgot the stuff at
Camp Simms, Jack!"

"So we did!" cried Jack. "Well, there's time enough yet. The fire
will burn right over the camp site there, but it's better cleared than
this, and there won't be much damage if we take the stuff from the
shack and bring it all over here. We can't save the shack, but that
can be built up again in a hurry after the fire's all over. Come on!"

They told the others what they planned to do, and Jim Burroughs
volunteered to go with them and help them. In an hour they had brought
everything portable from Camp Simms to the Benton camp, which was not
very far away, and then they felt that they had taken every possible
precaution. There was nothing more to do after that but wait on the
fire. It could not be hurri