ed, and, so great had it become, it could
not be delayed or checked by any human agency.

There was no question in the mind of any of them now of the wisdom of
Jack's fears. Had it not been for the ditch, they admitted, they could
not have done anything to save the camp.

"There'll be no sleep for any of us to-night," said Mr. Benton. "We'll
have to be ready when it gets near enough to keep it from jumping the
ditch and the pond. There's nothing else to stop it, certainly."

The guides were on watch, beyond the water, like pickets, and before
long they were driven in by the advancing fire. The heat was terrific,
and, under Mr. Benton's direction, lines of hose were laid to the lake,
and with the windmill that pumped fresh water to give pressure, the
hose was played constantly on the roofs and walls of the buildings of
the camp, to make it harder for flying sparks to set them afire.

There was plenty of hose, and as the fire advanced Jack was thankful
for that. Water was better than branches and sticks for beating out
any fire that leaped the water wall, and the hose was easier to handle,
too.

Soon after eleven great drops of water began to fall, and then there
was a steady downpour of rain.

"There's your rain, at last, Jim," said Jack. "You can see how much
effect it has. It's like pouring water from a flower pot down a
volcano and hoping to put it out. The fire doesn't even know it's
raining!"

"I guess you're right, Jack," said Jim. "Don't rub it in, though.
I'll admit that you saved the situation by making us do what you
wanted."

Now began the real fight with the fire. Roaring, bellowing, furious in
its onslaught, it swept all about the ditch that held it from its prey.
It seemed maddened with rage at the obstacle that man had opposed to
its conquering rush, and, raging, it flung sparks and flaming embers at
the defenders of the camp.

For two hours they worked, looking, through the light of the lurid
flames, like fiends. Their faces were blackened by the smoke, but they
never ceased their efforts. Buckets of water were placed all about the
clearing, and into these they plunged the cloths that they kept over
their faces. Other buckets of barley water, with dippers, were also
there, and when there was a chance for a moment's pause, they drank
deep draughts of the most cooling and refreshing drink that man has yet
devised. Barley water with a little lemon juice did more to moisten
parched t