ences of one of our party losing his way ever so
little, and the men knew it only too well as they kept together in a
little crowd which was constantly being broken up and separated by the
trees round which they threaded their way.

"Is there much more of this?" said Barker, suddenly appearing close to
us.

"Yes," replied Mr Raydon; "miles."

"Shall we do it?" he panted.

"With God's help," was Raydon's quiet reply; and I saw Barker set his
teeth hard, and throw his gun further over his shoulder as he bent down
to his task.

The narrow gate of the valley at last; and as we filed through the
opening I wondered whether it would tend to check the advance of the
fire, and began to wonder whether the trees were much thinner on the
higher side. But I felt that they were not, and that it would be long
enough before we struggled on to a place where we could be in safety;
while what seemed directly after, there was a deafening roar which I
knew to be that of the flames closed up by the narrow way, and leaping
after us now, as if in dread that we should escape.

"Man down!" shouted a voice; and in the horrible selfishness of their
fear the rest were passing on, but at a word from Mr Raydon four of his
men seized the poor exhausted fellow, each taking an arm or leg, and
bearing him on, while a few drops were trickled from a flask between his
lips.

"Man down!" was shouted again; and this time the retreating party seized
the poor fellow, following the example of our men, and bore him on,
while he was submitted to the same treatment.

Ten minutes after the poor fellows were on their feet again, struggling
on with the support of the arms of two of their fellows.

A dozen times over I felt that all was over, and that we might as well
accept our fate. For we could hardly breathe, and now the sparks and
flakes of fire and burning twigs came showering down upon us, as if sent
forward by the main body of the flame to check us till the advance came
on.

The latter part of that retreat before our merciless enemy became to me
at last like a dream, during which I have some recollection of
staggering along with my arm in Mr Raydon's, and the people about us
tottering and blundering along as if drunk with horror and exhaustion.
Every now and then men went down, but they struggled up again, and
staggered on, a crew of wild, bloodshot-eyed creatures, whose lips were
parched, and white with foam; and then something cool was being sp