The Thorogood Family | Page 7

shoulders. Brass helmets
and axes hung round the room. A row of boots hung in a rack, a little
telegraph instrument stood on a table near a map of London, and a
small but sociable clock ticked on the wall.
That clock had quite a lively, cheerful tick. It seemed to talk to the
fireman with the bushy brows until he smiled and looked at it.
"Tic--tic--tic!" said the man, "how low and gentle your voice seems
to-night. Everything is so still and quiet, that you appear to be only
whispering the flight of time."
"Tic--tic--tic," replied the clock.
But the fireman heard no more, for just then a faint, far-distant sound
broke upon his ear. It drew near, like a rushing wind. Then like the
noise of hurrying feet. The man rose and nudged one of the sleepers,
who sat up and listened, after which he got up quickly, reached down
his helmet, and awoke his companion, while the first fireman went to
the station door. Some one ran against it with fearful violence as he laid
his hand on the lock, and the alarm-bell rang a tremendous peal as he
threw it open.
"Fire!" yelled a man who seemed all eyes and hair.
"Just so; where is it?" replied the fireman, calmly glancing at the clock.
"Fire!" again yelled the man of eyes and hair, who was for the moment
mad with excitement.

"You've said that twice; where is it?" said the fireman, seizing the man
by his arm, while the two men, who had been asleep, slipped out like
fleet but quiet ghosts. One called up the sleeping firemen, the other got
out two horses which stood ready harnessed in their stalls.
The fireman's grasp sobered the madman. A street was named. The
outbreak of the fire was instantly telegraphed to head-quarters, and
thence to other stations concerned. Round came the horses; in flowed
the roused firemen, buttoning their garments as they ran each to his
own peg for helmet and axe. At the same time two or three hauled out
the steam fire-engine and yoked the horses. Three minutes from the
first shout of fire had barely elapsed when the whip cracked, eight or
ten helmeted men sprang to their seats, the steeds bounded away and
tore along the no longer quiet streets, leaving a trail of sparks behind
them.
Haste! haste! was the one idea. One minute saved may be a matter of
life or death in cases of fire.
Constant training, stern drill, made every man act like a calm, cool,
collected thunderbolt. No fuss, but tremendous energy. No noise, but
now and then a deep bass roar when any vehicle chanced to get in the
way, and a quiet smile when the danger was passed.
Thus they rushed along, like a fierce fiery monster, until they reached a
square in the great city which was bright as with the sun at noon-day. A
mansion was blazing from cellars to attics!
Our engine was soon at work. Other engines, whose stations lay nearer
to the scene of action, were already pumping volumes of water into the
flames. A strong force of police kept back the vast crowd, so as to let
the firemen do their work undisturbed. It was deadly work they had to
do! Not only were flames spouting from every window, but masses of
brickwork and blazing beams were falling in various places, rendering
the service full of danger. A London crowd is usually well-behaved, but
there are sometimes a few forward geese in it who think they can do
things better than other people. One such, a huge man with a foreign
accent, became excited, shouted, "Oh! vy don't you put 'im hout?"

broke through the crowd, and rushed among the firemen.
Our friend with the brass epaulettes and bushy eyebrows chanced to
pass at the moment.
"Vy you not put more vatter on 'im?" shouted the foreigner.
The stern countenance of the fireman relaxed, and a humorous smile lit
up his countenance for one instant; but he took no other notice of the
foreigner, who was quickly collared by two policemen as strong as
himself, and thrust back into the crowd, where he was received with
laughter, and presented with much good advice. One little boy in
particular recommended him seriously to go home and ask his mamma
to put him to bed--a remark which was received with great delight by
the bystanders.
But there was not much laughter; for the fire was very terrible, and
there was a report that some of the inmates had not been rescued by the
fire-escape men.
Meanwhile, our fireman with the epaulettes, who was foreman of that
district, went about like a general in action, watching the flames
sternly,--giving a quiet order to one, indicating