登陆注册
14731900000050

第50章

Man's hand had done this. An enemy, waiting and watching until they had left the field, had stolen down, gathered burning brands, and spread them along the bottom of the hill, where the increasing wind might scatter the fire until the whole grove was in a blaze.

Not only was Mrs. Atterson's timber in danger, but Darrell's tract and that lying beyond would be overwhelmed by the flames if they were allowed to spread.

On the other side, Dickerson had cut his timber a year or two before, clear to the river. The fire would not burn far over his line. Whoever had done this dastardly act, Dickerson's property would not be damaged.

But Hiram lent no time to trouble. His work was cut out for him right here and now--and well he knew it!

He had brought the small axe with him, having caught it up from the doorstep. Now he used it to cut a green bough, and then ran with the latter down the hill and set upon the fire-line like a madman.

The smoke, spread here and there by puffs of rising wind, half choked him. It stung his eyes until they distilled water enough to blind him. He thrashed and fought in the fumes and the murk of it, stumbling and slipping, one moment half-knee deep in quick-springing flames, the next almost overpowered by the smudge that rose from the beaten mat of leaves and rubbish.

It was a lone fight. He had to do it all. There had been no time to rouse either the neighbors, or the rest of the family.

If he did not overcome these flames--and well he knew it--Mother Atterson would arise in the morning to see all her goodly timber scorched, perhaps ruined!

"I must beat it out--beat it out!" thought Hiram, and the repetition ofthe words thrummed an accompaniment upon the drums of his ears as he thrashed away with a madman's strength.

For no sane person would have tackled such a hopeless task. Before him the flames suddenly leaped six feet or more into the air. They overtopped him as they writhed through a clump of green-briars. The wind puffed the flame toward him, and his face was scorched by the heat.

He lost his eyebrows completely, and the hair was crisped along the front brim of his hat.

Then with a laughing crackle, as though scorning his weakness, the flames ran up a climbing vine and the next moment wrapped a tall pine in lurid yellow.

This pine, like a huge torch, began to give off a thick, black smoke. Would some wakeful neighboring farmer, seeing it, know the danger that menaced and come to Hiram's help?

For yards he had beaten flat the flames and stamped out every spark. Behind him was naught but rolling smoke. It was dark there. No flames were eating up the slope.

But toward Darrell's tract the fire seemed on the increase. He could not catch up with it. And this solitary, sentinel pine, ablaze now in all its head, threatened to fling sparks for a hundred yards.

If the wind continued to rise, the forest was doomed!

His green branch had burned to a crisp. He had lost his axe in the darkness and the smoke, and now he tore another bough, by main strength, from its parent stem.

Hiram Strong worked as though inspired; but to no purpose in the end. For the flames increased. Puff after puff of wind drove the fire on, scattering brands from the blazing pine; and now another, and another, tree caught. The glare of the conflagration increased.

He flung down the useless bough. Fire was all about him. He had to leap suddenly to one side to escape a burst of flame that had caught in a jungle of green-briars.

Then, of a sudden, a crash of thunder rolled and reverberated through the glen. Lightning for an instant lit up the meadows and the river. The glare of it almost blinded the young farmer and, out of the line of fire, hesank to the earth and covered his eyes, seared by the sudden, compelling light.

Again and again the thunder rolled, following the javelins of lightning that seemed to dart from the clouds to the earth. The tempest, so long muttering in the West, had come upon him unexpectedly, for he had given all his attention to the spreading fire.

And now came the rain--no refreshing, sweet, saturating shower; but a thunderous, blinding fall of water that first set the burning woods to steaming and then drowned out every spark of fire on upland as well as lowland.

It was a cloudburst--a downpour such as Hiram had seldom experienced before. Exhausted, he lay on the bank and let the pelting rain soak him to the skin.

He did not care. Half drowned by the beating rain, he only crowed his delight at the downpour. Every spark of fire was flooded out. The danger was past.

He finally arose, and staggered through the downpour to the house, only happy that--by a merciful interposition of Providence--the peril had been overcome.

He tore off his clothing on the stoop, there in the pitch darkness, and crept up to his bedroom where he rubbed himself down with a crash-towel, and finally tumbled into bed and slept like a log till broad daylight.

同类推荐
  • Hiero

    Hiero

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 湘绮楼词钞

    湘绮楼词钞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 金璧故事

    金璧故事

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 明伦汇编人事典睡部

    明伦汇编人事典睡部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 捕蝗考

    捕蝗考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 霸道豪门:女人,别来无恙!

    霸道豪门:女人,别来无恙!

    “顾苏苏,你完了!”怀孕两个月,男友和闺蜜背叛将她逼上绝路。再醒来,她成了顶着无上光环的首席特工,身负重任混迹娱乐圈,却不想……“顾苏苏,你是我的女人!”某夜,男人强取豪夺之后,霸道地宣告着她的所有权,顾苏苏冷哼,“沈少,就你这连膜都破不了的长度?”可是,谁能告诉她,为什么当她任务失败的时候,这男人却搂着她的肩膀,语气暧昧,“她从此以后,你的任务就是伺候我!”
  • 零使之风

    零使之风

    在零使中加入了亚尔比昂悲剧王子的弟弟会慢慢的更,不定时
  • 仙上仙之沧月录

    仙上仙之沧月录

    修仙之路,漫漫无期。有多少人为之疯狂?而在我看来,所谓成仙,无非就是抛却七情六欲换来长生不死。人生得意须尽欢莫使金樽空对月。千万别等失去之后才懂得珍惜。莫辜负,白了少年头,空追忆。
  • 死亡病毒

    死亡病毒

    一夜之间,病毒末日一般的来到了城市中。人类、动物、植物,全部都被感染了。空气和水中也飘散着一种气体。哭泣、悲伤、害怕都凝聚在这病毒当中。感染者在地上如行尸走肉一般的走动,城市中陷入了危机。
  • 步步惊心:废柴嫡女傲世卿

    步步惊心:废柴嫡女傲世卿

    她本是天命凤女,只因妃嫔策计,沦落成连亲的人质。大婚当日,她被人陷害,青楼与人苟合,奸夫未知。联国皇帝暴怒,赐她火刑,并大举攻下西岐。凤凰涅槃之时,她不再是西岐的和亲公主,我命由我。身为相府嫡女,她身负重任,神马玩意?刚安顿下来,就要入宫选秀?嫁给年过半百的老头子。“不行!”谁?她还没反对,就有人替她反对。她侧目注视,问为什么?他魅惑一笑,答道:“我就是当年的奸夫,你是我女人。”
  • 英雄联盟杂货店

    英雄联盟杂货店

    人工智能开店买东西。(前几天家里出了事,结果等处理完回来的时候,发现电脑莫名崩溃了,上本书的存稿全没了,顿时心塞半天;而且电脑连续两次崩溃了,弄了我十多万字的存稿,我决定再也不写存稿了。再加上最近喜欢上了这种日常开店风的小说,所以决定自己也来试一下。)
  • 文化

    文化

    没有穿越,没有主角,只有一个想象的世界之中,无数的生灵为了生活而不断挣扎的故事。(鉴于书名太不好取,所以先挖坑一个,目前无限存稿中……)正式更新时间,2012年高考结束后……简单来说就是作者是一高三学生,没什么时间更新。
  • 千年等待:痴恋书中人

    千年等待:痴恋书中人

    什么?书里竟然有失忆的自己感觉熟悉的人?百里汐舞表示异常感兴趣。“跟我走。"百里青阳看着露出邪魅笑容的某王爷,顿时觉得一开始自己会认为她高不可侵,无心冷情肯定是瞎了眼。燕王府——百里青阳看着眼前卖萌撒娇的某王爷,再次觉得自己肯定一定是瞎了眼。试看无心无情的高冷上仙如何进化成腹黑狡猾的软萌王爷,清高绝世的淡雅青莲如何进化成毒舌的笑面狐狸.
  • 上古剑侠之神尊

    上古剑侠之神尊

    魔界的焚石熔岩,妖界的恒古黄沙,人界的山清水秀。长生?无敌?制霸天下?不……一切只为了生存……
  • 情错开于心间

    情错开于心间

    这是《爱在花間错开》的前传,主要写的是北堂初失忆前和温泽熙、郑允皓、莫筱曦四人之间的故事。顾雅依,我到底要怎样才能忘记你。——郑允皓无论你在那里只要回头就能看到我一直站在那里。——温泽熙我知道我们不可能在一起,但要我忘记你我做不到。——顾雅依为什么明明你离我这么近,我却无法感受到你的气息。——莫筱曦