The Young Firemen of Lakeville | Page 6

save
them, too," suggested Bert. "The fall won't hurt them, and the men can
roll them out of the way before the flames reach them."
They managed to save several bales, all they could reach; and they also
rolled out a carriage, which, as it had the bales to topple out on, falling
only a short distance, was very little damaged.

"That's the stuff, boys!" called Constable Stickler, who with a crowd of
others was in the cowyard, removing such things as the boys pushed or
tossed out, for they found many small objects they could save.
"There isn't much more we can get out," called Bert in answer. "It's
getting pretty hot here. Guess we'll have to leave, now."
He and Vincent turned to descend the inner stairs, by which they had
entered. As they did so there was a crash, and the forward part of the
roof fell in. An instant later the stairway was buried put of sight under a
mass of blazing wood.
"We can't get out that way!" cried Vincent. "We're caught in a trap!"
"The big doors!" replied Bert. "We can jump out, just like the horses
did."
"That's so! Come on! I guess the mud won't hurt us!" They turned to
that side of the barn, but to their horror they saw a stream of fire
pouring down over the opening, as a cataract of water flows over the
edge of a fall. To escape they would have to jump through the flames.

CHAPTER III
TALKING IT OVER
What had happened was this. There was loose hay and straw in the
upper part of the barn. The flames, eating up and along the roof, had
burned into this, until the whole mass was ablaze.
Then, as the upper part of the side of the barn, above the big open doors,
was burned through, the burning hay and straw began falling into the
cowyard. Right down it fell, like a cataract of fire.
It made a pile in the muck of the cow-yard, whence the men had led the
horses, wheeled out the mowing machine and carriage, and removed
the baled hay and straw.

At first the blazing wisps were extinguished, as the cow-yard was wet,
but, as more and more of the hay and straw fell, there gradually grew a
pile of blazing hot embers. But, worse than all, was the curtain of fire
that shut off escape by the big doors.
"What are we going to do?" asked Vincent, his face white with fear.
"We are up against it," replied Bert, speaking more calmly than would
have been possible for most lads. But Herbert Dare was unusually cool-
headed, a fact which later stood him in good service.
"Maybe the stairs are safe now," suggested Vincent.
It needed but a look at them to show that they were almost burned
away.
"No escape there," decided Bert.
"Isn't there an end door?"
"One, up in the loft, but it's thirty feet from the ground and that's too
much of a jump. Besides, we can't get into the loft now. It's a mass of
flames."
"Then we've got to jump through the big doors and take our chances
with the fire!" declared Vincent.
"Wait a minute," advised Bert.
He looked about him, seeking some means of escape. It would be
dangerous to try to leap through the doors. They would fall into a mass
of burning straw, which would scar them terribly, as would also the
falling cataract of ignited wisps. Yet there was no other way.
Then a daring idea came to Bert. He remembered reading about a man
who once escaped in a similar manner from a burning barn.
"Grab up a horse blanket!" he called to Vincent. There were several
scattered about the barn, and they were of heavy wool.

"I've got one," shouted Vincent. At the same time Bert found a large
one.
"Dip it in water," was the next command.
In one corner of the barn, near the horse stalls, there was a pump, at
which were filled the pails to water the horses when they were in the
barn. There was water in one pail now.
Bert dipped his blanket in, and drew it out dripping wet. But the wool
had absorbed most of the water, and there was only a little more left in
the pail.
"Here, wrap this about you, and jump!" cried Herbert, passing the wet
blanket to his chum, and taking the dry one from him.
"What will you do?"
"Never mind about me! I'll pump some more water. You jump, before
it's too late!"
Outside could be heard confused shouting. It was the crowd, calling to
the boys to hasten, as the roof was about to fall in. There were anxious
eyes waiting for the