I said, “We’re losing all the time; what’s the use?” “We can keep ahead of it for a couple of hundred yards,” he said; “maybe we’ll strike clear land. Anyway, we can’t do anything else than give it a race.” By that time we could feel the heat and sometimes sparks blew almost over our heads, but they were out when they reached ground. Harry just kept panting out, “Hustle,” and “Keep your nerve.” By now the crackling was loud and I could taste smoke. I knew there wasn’t much chance for us, but I didn’t say so. Anywhere a blown fire is bad enough, but uphill it just rushes. It seemed funny that I’d have to die on Marjorie’s birthday, and all of a sudden I thought how I had tried to ’phone her. Gee, she’d never even know that. “Hustle,” Harry said. “Do you hear a voice?” Dorry asked; “_listen_.” As plain as could be, I heard a girl’s voice, crying. It kind of seemed as if it might be Marjorie crying, because I was dead. Then I heard Hunt Manners say, “Yes, I hear it.” Harry just panted out, “Never mind, step high and hustle.” CHAPTER XXXVIII WE FIGHT AND RUN AWAY “Where are you?” Harry shouted; “all call together.” We could hear several voices answering all together, “Here.” “Keep shouting,” he called; “we’re coming. Is there any open land up there?” “No,” a voice said; “hurry!” We followed the voices and pretty soon came to the observation station. It was just a little shanty with a trestle-work wooden tower close to it. “Did you get ’phone connection yet?” Harry called as we came up. “Guess the poles are burned down,” a fellow’s voice answered. “We can’t even get Central. Have you got water?” he fairly wailed. “We’re going to be burned alive! Have you got water?” Inside were two girls and two young fellows. One of the girls was wringing her hands and just sobbing, and the other girl was trying to calm her down. She just kept crying, “It’s coming nearer and nearer! What shall we do? Oh, what shall we do?” One of the fellows was all gone to pieces, too, and he just clutched Harry’s arm and said, “Save us; can’t you save us?” Harry just kind of threw him off. He said, “We’re here to save you if we can, and die with you if we can’t. The first thing is, not to be a coward. Remember, when the Titanic went down, the band was playing. There have been a couple of million people killed in the last two years. Who are you, to be standing here crying like a baby?” Oh boy, that hit the girl if it didn’t hit the fellow. She just got up and grabbed Harry by the hand and said, “I’m _not_ a coward. I _can_ be brave.” “All right,” he said; “we’ve got about eight minutes. Sit down and be calm. These boys are scouts. Take a lesson from them.” _Oh, didn’t I admire that fellow!_ I bet the girl did, too. Gee, you couldn’t blame her. “There ought to be some axes here,” he said; “hustle and turn things over.” [Illustration: WE CHOPPED AWAY THE BRUSH TO MAKE A LONG CLEAR SPACE]