The Young Firemen of Lakeville | Page 4

'em!"
At that moment a shrill cry, almost like a human being in agony, rose
above the crackle of the flames.
"Those are the horses!" cried Bert. "Come on! We'll try to save 'em!"

CHAPTER II
IN PERIL
Accompanied by several men and boys, Bert ran toward the barn. The
whole front, and part of the roof, were now blazing. The structure was
beyond saving, as far as anything the bucket brigade could do, but the
members of that primitive fire department did not stop.
The buckets were passed from hand to hand, but such was the haste that
a full bucket seldom reached the end of the line. Usually about half the
fluid was spilled. And what little did get there was merely tossed
against the side of the barn that was not yet burning, though from the
way it was smoking it would evidently not be long before it burst into

flames.
Once more came the frightened neighing of the horses, tied in their
stalls. Their cries were weird and terrifying, for a horse seldom gives
expression to its fear in that manner.
"You can't get 'em out!" called Constable Stickler, who had heard what
had been said. He left his supervision of the bucket brigade and ran
alongside of the boy. "The fire's all around 'em. You can't get 'em out!"
"Well, I'm going to try," declared Bert.
"My fine horses!" exclaimed Mr. Stimson. "This means a terrible loss
to me!"
"Is the barn insured?" asked the constable.
"Yes, but my stock ain't. Oh, this is a terrible calamity! An awful
misfortune!"
Bert approached as closely as he dared to the blazing front of the barn.
Clearly no one could enter that way. But he knew the structure well, for
he had once helped Mr. Stimson get in his hay, when a shower was
threatened.
"Come around to the side door!" he called to those who followed him,
and, such was the effect of his leadership, that no one now thought of
questioning it. In times of excitement one cool head can do much, and
Bert was cool.
Beside the main entrance to the barn, which was up an elevated
driveway, there was a door opening into a sort of basement, and from
that, by means of stairs, the main floor of the barn, where the horses
were, could be reached. This door was locked, but Bert smashed the
fastening with a big stone, since Mr. Stimson was too much excited to
remember where the key had been placed.
"Come on!" cried the boy.

"You can't take the horses down these stairs," said the constable, as he
and several other men followed Bert.
"No. Don't try it," added the farmer. "They'll break their legs."
"I'm not going to," said Bert. "Couldn't if I wanted to. The stairs are too
narrow and steep. Hey, Cole," he called to his chum, who with Vincent
had left the now utterly useless bucket brigade lines, "you slip around
and let out the cows. Mr. Stimson, you'd better show him."
"That's right. We'll git the cows out!"
The cows were kept in the basement of the barn, the entrance to it being
on the other side, level with the ground. The flames had not eaten down,
as yet, and the cows were found patiently chewing their cud. It did not
take long for Mr. Stimson and his neighbors to get them out.
With the horses it was a more difficult matter. These highly nervous
animals, half maddened by the fire, were running about, having now
broken their halters, and they could be heard trampling on the floor
overhead. Part of the floor was burning, and the animals were confined
by the flames to one side of the barn.
"You'll never git them out," prophesied the constable.
Indeed, Bert was beginning to have his own doubts. But he had a plan
which he wished to try.
"Come on, Vincent," he called to his chum. "You know how to handle
horses, don't you?"
"Sure."
By this time the two boys and the constable had reached the head of the
stairs, and were inside the barn, on the main floor. Fortunately the
flames were not yet near the stairway.
"Look out for the horses!" yelled Mr. Stickler. "They're crazy with
fear!"

The animals certainly were. Back and forth they rushed as the shifting
flames and smoke drove them from place to place. The interior of the
barn was becoming hotter and hotter. Most of the front had burned
away, and through it, wreathed in flames and smoke as it was, those
inside could look out and see the wondering crowd gathered before the
structure.
"Goin' to drive the horses through?" asked Vincent.
"No. They'd never cross those burning embers," replied Bert, pointing
to where pieces of blazing