rst who gave them orders, and Mr
Raydon led on again, but in less then ten minutes, during which the hot
puffs of air and the roar had increased rapidly, we were face to face
with the fact that the fire was coming up like some terrible tide,
evidently stretching right across from side to side, and already above
our heads there were clouds of pungent smoke; and the crackle, roar, and
hiss of the burning wood was rapidly growing louder.

"Halt!" roared Mr Raydon. "It is death to go on. Back at once."

"But the sides," cried Barker; "can't we all climb up here?"

"The fire would be on us before we were half-way up, even if we could
climb, man," said Mr Raydon, "which I doubt. Back at once!"

"Yes; quick! quick!" shouted one of the men. "Look, look!"

It did not need his shouts, for we could see the flames rushing up the
higher trees, which seemed to flash with light, as if they had been
strewn with powder; the heat was growing unbearable, and already I felt
faint and giddy.

It was quite time we were in full retreat, for there above our heads was
a pall of black smoke, dotted with flakes of flame, and a horrible panic
now smote the men as they hurried on.

"Keep close to me, Gordon," said Mr Raydon, glancing back. "Why, it is
coming on like a hurricane of fire."

It was too true, for the hot wind rushed up between the towering walls
of the valley as if through a funnel, and before many minutes had passed
we knew that the forest was on fire where we so lately stood, and that
it was rapidly growing into a race between man's endurance and the wild
rush of the flames.

I looked back twice, to feel the hot glow of the fire on my face, and to
see the lurid glare coming on with the black smoke-clouds wreathing up
at terrific speed. Then as we tramped on with the roar behind us as of
some vast furnace, there came explosions like the firing of guns; the
crashes of small arms; and from time to time the fall of some tree
sounded like thunder.

The men needed no spurring to get on out of the dense labyrinth of
trees, through which we toiled on hot to suffocation, breathless, and in
mortal dread of being overtaken by the fearful enemy roaring in our
rear. For, so rapid was the advance of the fire, that for a certainty a
ten minutes' halt would have been enough to have brought the line of
fire up to us.

"Don't stop to look back," cried Mr Raydon. "Press on, men; press on.
Keep together."

I thought of the consequ