“It must be a terrible fire! They are calling out the reserves!” she exclaimed.
“What shall we do?” cried Nell. “We don’t know which way to run!”
“Let me pass, please,” cried an authoritative2 voice, and a forest ranger3 dashed past them and rushed up to the radio set. The young folks watched him with fascinated interest.
The ranger listened for a moment with furrowed4 brow, then, by means of the sending apparatus5 with which the hut was also equipped, sent back word to the station that the orders had been heard and would be obeyed.
Then he looked at the young folks as though seeing them for the first time.
“Better get out of here, quick!” he commanded, in the curt6 tones of one who has not a moment to waste. “Fire sweeping7 in this direction. Worst one in years. Run for it.”
“But where, where?” cried Jessie, catching8 his sleeve, as he was hurrying out again. “Where shall we go?”
“Straight down to the lake, keep facing northwest,” commanded the ranger. “Better get out on the lake if you have boats. Fire apt to sweep the water front if we don’t get busy. Run!” With these words he turned and dashed from the hut.
Following him out into the open, the girls and boys saw him join a group of rangers9, all fully10 equipped for fire fighting. He shouted a command to the men, and they turned and ran through the woods away from the lake.
“They are going to beat the fire back!” gasped11 Jessie, as they started on a run in the general direction of the water. “Poor Darry, we can’t even look for him now!”
“Look at that smoke!” cried Nell, pointing to a heavy black cloud that swirled12 above the trees and seemed to be bearing down upon them.
“The fire must be gaining on us!” sobbed13 Amy, as she pushed steadily14 on through the nightmare branches and entangling15 vines. “Suppose we can’t reach the lake!”
“We must reach it!” said Jessie, in a hard voice that she did not recognize as hers at all. “Let’s run, can’t we?”
It was then she discovered something that Burd had valiantly16 kept from them up to that time. He limped, and one foot seemed to drag painfully behind him.
“Burd, you are hurt!” she cried, in quick concern. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“It isn’t anything,” the young fellow assured her, trying to summon up his old cheerful grin. “Caught my ankle in the root of a tree this morning and took a pretty header. Serves me right for not watching my step.”
“Oh, but that is dreadful, Burd!” cried Amy, forgetful momentarily of their danger, and even of Darry, in sympathy for him. “You must have been in agony, dragging all these miles with a sprained17 ankle.”
“Just wrenched18, that’s all. Don’t worry about it,” said Burd, limping on. But the girls saw that his mouth was set in a straight line and his eyes were clouded with pain.
Fol and Nell were already out of sight. Fol knew nothing of Burd’s plight19, or he would, of course, have stayed to help him.
Back of them there was a distant crackling sound, the pungent20 odor of burning wood filled their nostrils21, choking them.
Jessie gave a quick glance over her shoulder and caught her breath. A thin fork of red had rent for a moment the curtain of smoke. The fire was gaining on them!
“Lean on me, Burd, do,” she said, breathlessly. “Amy will take the other side, and we can help you. That’s the way.”
Some new and urgent quality in her voice caused Burd also to look behind. He shut his eyes and groaned22.
“You will have to go on, girls,” he said. “The fire is gaining fast. This foot—I can’t go any faster.”
“We are not going any faster than you can go, Burd Alling,” Amy flashed out at him fiercely. “Do you think for a moment we would go and leave you? You ought to be ashamed of yourself!”
“I am,” said Burd, with an imitation of his old grin.
The next moment he stumbled heavily and fell into a hole caused by the uprooting23 of a giant tree. When the girls bent24 over him he grimaced25 with pain.
“Better go on,” he said. “Done for the old ankle this time, I guess. Feels sort of busted26 up generally.”
“But, Burd, you must try to get up. You must, you must!” cried Amy, shaking him desperately27. “We will help you. You can lean on Jessie and me. That horrible smoke. It—is—choking me——” She broke off, half-strangled, and Burd, with Jessie’s aid, struggled to his feet.
He said no word as they helped him out of the hole and to solid ground again, but his lips were white with pain.
“Come on,” he said, limping ahead, manfully, though he alone knew how much that effort cost him. “There is a lot of fight left in the old carcass yet. Got the compass, Jess? That’s right. All you have to do is to keep us steered28 in the right direction.”
They could hear the roar of the flames now, the voices of the fire-fighters as they urged each other on. Above the scene of battle hovered29 the airplanes, watching keenly the progress of the fire, directing each step in the fight. The whirring of their engines, like the noise of gigantic beetles30, came faintly to the ears of Jessie and Amy as, with the crippled Burd, they struggled onward31 toward the haven32 of the water.
It seemed to them as though the forest had suddenly become a sentient33 thing, reaching out horrible nightmare fingers to halt their progress, pushing them backward toward the fire and destruction.
At last came a hoarse34, triumphant35 cry from Jessie.
“The water—over there, through the trees!” she sobbed. “We are safe—safe!”
The sight of that water was deceptive36, for they still had a weary way to go before reaching the protection of it. But it was possible now to see their progress, and Burd, with the anxious encouragement of Jessie and Amy, nerved himself for that last great effort.
“There is the lodge37,” gasped Amy, pushing the hair back from her face. “Tell me I am not dreaming, Jess, Burd. It is the lodge, isn’t it?”
“Thank heaven—yes,” groaned Burd, adding, as they pressed forward: “You girls are bricks. I won’t forget it. Ouch! Confound that rock——”
“We will have it removed before you come this way again,” said Amy, with a choked little laugh. “There is Aunt Emma, waiting for us, bless her.”
“Home! I thought we would never see it again!” cried Jessie, huskily, as Miss Alling rushed to them, forcing Burd to lean upon her shoulder and relieving the exhausted38 girls.
They reached the lodge and found Nell and Fol inside, hastily packing their belongings39.
“Is it—as bad as that?” asked Jessie, as she flung herself into a chair and covered her burning eyes with smoke-stained fingers. “Shall we have to leave the lodge, Aunt Emma?”
“I hope not, my dear,” returned Miss Alling, briskly. “We are only preparing for that emergency. The fire, with the impetus40 it has gained, may sweep down to the lake front, and in that case our only safe refuge will be the boats.”
“The radio—we must save that,” cried Jessie, feverishly41, springing to her feet. “Oh, we must hurry—hurry——”
“We have it almost packed, Jess, dear,” said Nell, who had been fussing over Burd and lamenting42 the fact that she and Fol had not known of his crippled ankle. “I have it nearly dismantled43, and Fol has been carefully packing the parts.”
“One can always depend on Nell,” said Amy, as she bestirred herself wearily to help in the packing. “What do we do next?”
Aunt Emma answered the question in a brief and efficient manner, and it was only a short time before everything was in readiness for a quick retreat to the lake in case such an action became necessary.
“Guess we can’t do any more, Jess,” said Amy, soberly, as she joined her chum at a window that commanded a view of the burning forest. “Our game will have to be a waiting one from now on.”
“That is the most horrible part of it,” cried Jessie, in a fierce whisper. “To have to stay here and watch—and do nothing! Amy, I can’t bear it!”
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1
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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2
authoritative
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| adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的 | |
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ranger
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| n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员 | |
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furrowed
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| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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7
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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8
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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rangers
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| 护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员 | |
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10
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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12
swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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14
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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15
entangling
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| v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的现在分词 ) | |
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valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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sprained
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| v.&n. 扭伤 | |
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wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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22
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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23
uprooting
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| n.倒根，挖除伐根v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的现在分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园 | |
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24
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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25
grimaced
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| v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
busted
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| adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词 | |
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27
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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28
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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29
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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30
beetles
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| n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
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31
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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32
haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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33
sentient
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| adj.有知觉的，知悉的；adv.有感觉能力地 | |
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34
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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35
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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deceptive
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| adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的 | |
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37
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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38
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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39
belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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40
impetus
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| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
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41
feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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42
lamenting
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| adj.悲伤的，悲哀的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的现在分词 ) | |
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43
dismantled
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| 拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消 | |
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