'I thrust it into every part of the bed, which was now little else than a mass of ashes, without striking the object of my search. My arms suffered severely from the hot air of the room, and the flames were almost licking my face. ''I can't endure it! I would not try any longer, for the universe!' I exclaimed. ''Must we lose the most valuable part of the goods? What shall we do?' said Petro, who now began to feel the warmth more pressingly, from which he had been before but little disturbed, there being a space in the middle of the room free from the flames. ''The house,' said I, 'will soon fall over our heads, if we don't escape; we shall be discovered; it can't be long before the fire will be observed without.' ''Well, let the cursed thing go; it is not worth our lives. Come, and let us get out, as quick as the devil will let us.' ''Ha! the door is locked!' he continued, in an alarmed voice, and working at the latch violently, with both hands. 'Run to the other door!' 'I ran and tried it; but it yielded no more than if it had been barricaded with triple bolts. ''What was done with the key?' demanded Petro, searching hastily in his pockets. ''It is on the outside. No one can have turned it since we went to bed; nobody has been in.' ''Locked!--locked! No, it cannot be!' repeated my brother: 'it is the heated air of the room. We must exert our whole strength together.' 'We did so, and without effect. We were now in a truly desperate situation, with no opportunity to escape, and the fire already enveloping us. ''Madmen! fools! why did we delay! By heavens! we must not perish here. Where are our friends!' 'At this time, the cry of 'fire!' was raised in the street, and we heard the engines rattling along the pavements. We also thought we distinguished the sound of persons ascending the stairs, and called to them, but could not make them hear, in consequence of the roaring of the flames, and the shouts of the firemen in the street. ''Down with the door! round to the rear!' we understood distinctly, and echoed back the unavailing cry, while the heavy shock of a ladder, as it struck against the wooden walls, one story above us, showed the advance of the preparations for effecting an entrance in that quarter, and for quenching the fire. 'My brother shouted for assistance, but the noise of the engines and the cry of 'fire!' without, drowned his voice. ''It is useless,' said I; 'that bellowing rabble will split their sides to out-bawl us.' 'Still more alarmed, and smarting with our burns, we now attempted to raise the window. But, as if the fates conspired against us, it refused to move!