"Oh! come along, fireman; help me to save my things," he exclaimed, as he struggled with superhuman efforts to thrust a table through the window, which was too small to permit its passage. "Stop, sir, are you mad?" cried Frank sternly. "Help me! help me! Oh! fireman, it will be all burned. Fire! fire! fire!!!" His voice rose into a fierce yell, as he strove in vain with the table. "You're quite safe," cried Frank, holding him; "_your_ house ain't alight, and the engines have got it almost under." But Frank spoke to deaf ears; so he coolly lifted the man in his arms, carried him kicking downstairs, and placed him in charge of a policeman. Just then, a cry was raised that there were two kegs of gunpowder in one of the shops on the ground floor. The owner of the shop came up in a frantic state, and corroborated this statement. "It'll blow the house to bits, sir," he said to Mr Braidwood. "Of course it will," remarked the latter in a quiet voice. "Come here, my man," he added, taking the shopkeeper apart from the crowd, and questioning him closely. Immediately after, he ordered the engines to play on a particular part of the building. Just then, Frank came up to the superintendent. "There's gunpowder in the back-shop somewhere, I'm told, sir; shall I go in for it?" "No, Willders; you couldn't find it in the smoke. Take the branch, lad, and get up into that window above the door." Frank sprang to obey. At the same time, Mr Braidwood suddenly seized a horse-cloth, and dashed in through the smoke. In a few seconds, he returned with one of the kegs of powder in his arms. Giving it to one of his men, he darted in again, and speedily re-issued with the second keg of powder, amid the frantic cheering of the crowd. Having done this, he continued to superintend the men until the fire was got under, which was soon accomplished, having been attacked promptly and with great vigour soon after it broke out. "You needn't wait, Mr Dale," said Braidwood, going up to his foreman. "It's all safe now. I'll keep one engine; but you and your lads get off to your beds as fast as ye can." Dale obeyed, and a few minutes after, the engine was galloping homewards. Willie Willders was in the station when it arrived, and so was Fred Auberly, who, having accompanied Willie, had got into such an interesting talk with the sub-engineer in charge, that he forgot time, and was still in animated conversation when the wheels were heard in the distance. The three were out at the door in an instant.