at fire. See it?"

Of course we'd seen it. But--it wasn't any of our business, was it?

"I want you to hurry over there to a fire line and keep the fire from
crossing. Quick! Savvy?"

"I don't believe we can, sir," I said. "We're on the trail."

"What difference does that make?"

"We're after a gang who have three of our men and we want to stop them
before they cross the range."

"You follow me."

"I'm sorry," I said; "but we're trailing. We're obeying orders."

"Whose orders?"

"Our Patrol leader's."

"Who's he?"

"General Ashley--I mean, Roger Franklin. He's another boy. But he's been
captured and two of our partners. We're to follow and rescue them. We've
got to go."

"No, you haven't," answered the Ranger. "Not until after this fire is
under control. You'll be paid for your time."

"We don't care anything about the pay," said Kit Carson. "We've got to
go on."

"Well, I'm giving you higher orders from a higher officer, then,"
retorted the Ranger. "I'm giving you orders from the President of the
United States. This is Government work, and I'm representing the
Government. I reckon you Boy Scouts want to support the Government,
don't you?"

Sure we did.

"If that fire goes it will burn millions of dollars' worth of timber,
and may destroy ranches and people, too. It's your duty now to help the
Government and to put it out. Your duty to Uncle Sam is bigger than any
duty to private Scouts' affairs. And it is the law that anybody seeing a
forest fire near him shall report it or aid in extinguishing it. Now,
are you coming, or will you sneak off with an excuse?"

"Why--coming!" we all cried at once. We hated to leave the trail--to
leave the general and Fitz and Jim Bridger and the message to their
fate; but the Government was calling, here, and the first duty of good
Scouts is to be good citizens.

"Pass up your blanket rolls," ordered the Ranger. "You smallest kid
climb behind me. Each of you two others catch hold of a stirrup. Then we
can make time across."

In a second away we all went at a trot, heading for the timber and the
fire.

"I rode right through that fire to get you," said the Ranger. "I saw
you. I've got two or three guards working up over the ridge. Your job is
to watch a fire line that runs along this side of the base of that point
yonder. One end of the fire line is a boggy place with willows and
aspens; and if we can keep the fire from jumping those willows and
starting across,