and children.
They meant to burn the roof off to scare them out, and one man threw
burning clods on it. But those inside tore off the flaming roof and it
fell all around the cabin and set the walls afire. They dared not run
out through that wall of flame and smothered to death they were--God
pity them!" and he began to weep aloud again.

Bolderwood was speechless--well-nigh overcome, indeed, with the horror
of this. He saw his friends appear from the wood on the other side of
the house and he walked toward them like one in a dream. But still he
clung to the surveyor's arm and forced him to approach the cabin. The
roof had, of course, been completely consumed, and the outside of the
walls was blackened and still blazed fiercely at the corners. The window
shutters and door were burned away and the interior of the place was
badly demolished.

"Where's the widder and the boys?" shouted one of the newcomers to
Bolderwood. The old ranger did not answer, but his hand tightened upon
the surveyor's arm. Suddenly the latter shrieked and would have fallen
to the ground had not the grasp upheld him. In the door of the burning
cabin stood the figure of Enoch Harding, his face covered with smut and
his clothing half burned off his back. For a moment the surveyor
believed the dead had risen and he covered his face with his hands to
shut out the sight of the boy.

"Are ye all alive, lad?" shouted Bolderwood, dropping the surveyor and
running forward.

"We're all right, but well-nigh smothered," returned Enoch, hoarsely.
"Bring--bring some water!"

He staggered out of the cabin and fell upon the ground. In a moment the
surprised neighbors were running with buckets and pans from the well,
for Mistress Harding's milk vessels had been left to dry outside the
springhouse. Bolderwood took it upon himself to revive the
half-strangled Enoch, while the others dashed water over the smouldering
interior of the cabin, putting out the fire on the floor which was
burning briskly, and finally being able to draw the widow and the
smaller children from the secret room under the hearth and carry them to
the outer air. Here they quickly revived and Mistress Harding with the
girls and little Harry took shelter in one of the hovels.

The destruction of the cabin was practically complete. There was not a
log that was not charred, and the interior furnishings of the house were
ruined. The kind-hearted neighbors saved the chests of bedclothing and
th