FIRE IN THE WOODS By Prof. James De Mille Author Of The “B. O. W. C.,” “The Boys Of Grand Pre School,” “Lost In The Fog,” “Among The Brigands,” Etc. Illustrated Boston: Lee And Shepard Publishers 1871 [Ill 0010] [Ill 0010] FIRE IN THE WOODS. I. _On a Visit.--A Fascination and a Temptation.--Secret Plans.--An exciting Letter.--Where’s old Solomon?--Arrival of an Opportunity.--The Opportunity seized.--A hazardous Adventure.--The Island in the Falls._ BART DAMER lived at St. John, and on his return home he had brought with him his two friends, Phil and Pat, to pass the vacation with him. Solomon had also accompanied them, for the purpose of visiting some relatives who lived in the vicinity. Neither Phil nor Pat had ever been in St. John before, and they found the place full of attractions of no common order. Indeed, it may safely be said, that St. John possesses attractions sufficient to excite the interest even of those who have travelled far and seen much, and can lay claim to far more experience than could possibly have been possessed by two lads like Phil and Pat. Situated as it is on a peninsula between two seas, and on a declivity which slopes steeply down on three sides, its houses rise one above another, and thus produce an effect which is in the highest degree imposing to those approaching. Before the city and behind it two furious floods pass and repass, in one place filling up the broad channel with sand, but in the other mingling with the torrent of a mighty river, which, after flowing for five hundred miles, at this place pours all its accumulated waters into the bay. All around the city are many striking scenes; the sea, with its tides and currents; the sky, with its clouds and fogs; the rocky ledges, the surf-beaten islands, and the far-folded headlands; the low marshes, and broad sand flats; the bold, rocky hills, whose summits, rising one behind another, fade away in the distance;--and over all these an ever-changing atmosphere, which at one time veils all the scene in thick mists, and at another time gathers up all its clouds to lend additional glories to the setting sun.