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diff --git a/old/50257-0.txt b/old/50257-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 35d6a1f..0000000 --- a/old/50257-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4687 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Fire at Red Lake, by Roger Barlow - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Fire at Red Lake - Sandy Steele Adventures #4 - -Author: Roger Barlow - -Release Date: October 19, 2015 [EBook #50257] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FIRE AT RED LAKE *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - SANDY STEELE ADVENTURES - - Black Treasure - Danger at Mormon Crossing - Stormy Voyage - Fire at Red Lake - Secret Mission to Alaska - Troubled Waters - - - - - Sandy Steele Adventures - _FIRE AT RED LAKE_ - - - BY ROGER BARLOW - - - SIMON AND SCHUSTER - _New York, 1959_ - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - INCLUDING THE RIGHT OF REPRODUCTION - IN WHOLE OR IN PART IN ANY FORM - COPYRIGHT © 1959 BY SIMON AND SCHUSTER, INC. - PUBLISHED BY SIMON AND SCHUSTER, INC. - ROCKEFELLER CENTER, 630 FIFTH AVENUE - NEW YORK 20, N. Y. - - FIRST PRINTING - - LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 59-13882 - MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BY H. WOLFF BOOK MFG. CO., INC., NEW YORK - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - 1 The Lodge on the Lake 7 - 2 Into the Woods 17 - 3 A Midnight Visitor 26 - 4 The Missing A-Bomb 34 - 5 Lightning Strikes 43 - 6 A Futile Search 51 - 7 A Birling Match 64 - 8 Fire! 76 - 9 Battling the Flames 88 - 10 A Temporary Victory 104 - 11 Last-Ditch Stand 115 - 12 Trapped on the Hill 128 - 13 An Unexpected Find 141 - 14 The Rains Came 152 - 15 End of the Trail 157 - - - - - CHAPTER ONE - The Lodge on the Lake - - -The battered station wagon bumped and groaned over the rutted dirt road -at about ten miles per hour, churning up great clouds of dust. Sandy -Steele wiped the grime and grit from his face with his handkerchief and -bent forward to yell in the driver’s ear. - -“How much further, Mr. McClintock?” - -The wizened little old man tugged his dirty straw hat down tighter as -the front wheels lurched in and out of a hole with a jolt that sent all -four occupants of the car bouncing several inches off the seats. - -“’Bout ’nother quarter of a mile is all,” the man finally replied. - -Sandy grinned at his high-school friend Jerry James, seated beside him. -“Well, we’ve come twenty miles; I guess we’ll last another fifteen -hundred feet.” - -The short, stout boy seated up front with the driver turned to face -them, his eyes owlish behind thick, horn-rimmed glasses. “One thousand, -three hundred and twenty feet, to be precise,” he said solemnly. “That’s -a quarter of a mile exactly.” - -Sandy and Jerry let out long-suffering groans. At fifteen, Clyde Benson -(Quiz) Taylor was the No. 1 student at Valley View High School in -central California where the three boys lived only houses apart. At the -age of ten, Quiz had been a winning contestant on a television quiz -program, which accounted for his nickname. Quiz could discuss Einstein’s -Theory of Relativity or the batting averages of the leading hitters in -the National and American Leagues with equal ease. His mind was a -bulging storehouse of facts and figures that his friends found very -valuable. But at times the superior manner in which he flaunted his -knowledge could be highly irritating. - -“Why did you have to ask him along?” Jerry demanded wearily. “Living -with Quiz for a whole month is more than any human being can take.” - -“That lets you out then, Jerry,” Quiz said, grinning. - -“Okay, wise guy.” Jerry thrust his lantern jaw out indignantly. “Just -you wait till we’re camping out in the deep woods—hundreds of miles from -civilization, with no one around to hear your deathly screams.” - -The driver interrupted this byplay, pointing to a patch of blue between -the trunks of the giant pines. “There, you can see the lake now, -fellers. Five minutes more, we’ll be at Mr. Steele’s camp.” He caught -Sandy’s eye in the rear-view mirror. “You’re Russ Steele’s nephew, ain’t -you?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -The driver nodded. “Great man, Russ Steele. My son was in his division -in Korea. Said General Steele was the best CO any outfit ever had. Used -to be real interested in his men. My boy said the dogfaces swore by -him.” - -“Uncle Russ is a regular guy all right,” Sandy said. - -“I’ll say,” Jerry put in. “How many big shots like him would spend their -summer vacations taking a bunch of teen-agers on a camping trip?” - -The driver looked surprised. “Russ never talks about his work. Is he -really a big shot?” - -“Mr. Steele is vice president in charge of research of World Dynamics -Corporation,” Quiz explained loftily. “That’s the firm that does all -that secret government work.” - -The driver tipped back his straw hat. “Well, now, I never would’ve -guessed it. He sure don’t act it.” - -At that moment, the station wagon rounded a curve, and the road broke -out of the trees on the lake shore. To the left and right, water -stretched away as far as the eye could see. Straight across, the far -shore was barely visible through the blue haze on the horizon. - -Jerry whistled in wonder. “Wow! That’s a lake? It looks more like the -Pacific Ocean.” - -“If I remember correctly,” Quiz said, “the Red Lake Indian Reservation -is somewhere around here, isn’t it?” - -McClintock nodded. “Couple of miles west, on the lower lake. Actually, -there’s twin lakes, connected by sort of a gooseneck. Russ Steele’s -place is on the south shore of the upper lake. Here we are now.” - -Set back in an acre of cleared land beyond the beach was a two-story, -rambling lodge with a wide front porch. The rough, pine log walls were -solidly chinked so that they could withstand the frigid north Minnesota -winters; Russell Steele, an avid hunter, used the place as often in -winter as he did in summer. A small dock ran out into the lake and -served as a mooring for three rowboats as well as a 16-foot cabin -cruiser. - -As the station wagon drew up in front of the porch, a tall, powerful man -with broad shoulders came down the steps to greet them. - -“Welcome to Red Lake.” - -Sandy leaped out of the car and wrung his uncle’s hand vigorously. -“Uncle Russ! It’s great to be here.” - -A lithe six-footer, Sandy seemed puny beside the older man. In his plaid -shirt and dungarees, Russell Steele looked more like a lumberjack than a -corporation executive. He shook hands with the other two boys. - -“Glad the whole gang could make it,” Russ said, grinning. - -“You’re a peach to invite us, Mr. Steele,” Jerry said. - -Russell Steele walked over to the front window of the station wagon and -put one big hand on the driver’s shoulder. “How’s it going, John?” - -John McClintock removed his straw hat and blew the dust off the crown. -“Not bad, Russ. But I could use some rain like everybody else around -here.” - -Russ frowned. “It’s bad. Very bad. The ground is like cement and -everything is dry as parchment. I don’t mind telling you I’m worried, -John.” - -The driver shrugged. “Like living in a tinder-box. I hear you’re takin’ -these young fellers out into the deep woods. Better not go too far. -We’re just about due for a forest fire.” - -“We’ll be careful,” Russ promised. He reached into his pocket and took -out a folded ten-dollar bill. “Thanks for bringing the boys out, John. -Here, let me take care of their taxi fare.” - -John McClintock pushed the extended bill away firmly. “Not on your life, -Russ. This one’s on me. I owe you a favor after what you did for my -family last year.” - -He looked up at Sandy. “Last winter when your uncle was up hunting -around my place, my youngest cut hisself bad on a band saw. Russ hiked -nine miles through a raging blizzard to fetch the doc.” - -Russ laughed easily. “I needed the exercise, John. Now you take this -money—” But before he could finish, the old man had gunned the motor and -the station wagon leaped forward. It turned into the drive, backed -around in the road, then headed off in the direction of town. - - -Russ helped the boys carry their luggage into the lodge and upstairs to -their rooms. “The bathroom’s at the end of the hall. After you shower, -come down to the porch. I’ll have the cook fix you some lemonade and -sandwiches.” - -Sandy was the first one finished. Russ Steele looked up and grinned as -his nephew appeared in the doorway, running a comb through his -unmanageable blond hair with dogged determination. - -“Still having trouble with that cowlick, I see,” Russ said. - -“One of these days I’m going to get a butch haircut like Jerry James’s. -Then all I’ll have to do is run a washrag across it.” - -“Your mother will never buy that,” Russ laughed. “How are the folks?” - -“They’re fine,” Sandy said. “Dad’s down in Mexico for two weeks.” - -Russ took a long draw on his pipe. “On another one of those government -geological expeditions, I suppose. I envy John, getting to see so much -of the world.” - -“He enjoys it, all right,” Sandy admitted. He looked up as a big, -sleek-haired dog came bounding out of the pines on one side of the -house. “Who’s that?” - -“That’s Prince, the cook’s Doberman pinscher.” Russ whistled softly -through his teeth. - -The dog’s sharp ears and muzzle thrust alertly into the air; then, with -the bounce of a recoiling spring, he came striding across the sunburned -lawn and cleared the front steps in a single leap, to squat in front of -Russ with his short stub of a tail wagging vigorously. - -“Talk about jet propulsion!” Sandy exclaimed. “What do you feed him on?” - -Russ laughed and leaned over to stroke the animal’s glossy black coat. -“Pound for pound the Doberman is the strongest canine bred. One of the -most intelligent, too. We use them as watchdogs at the plant. I brought -this fellow up as a Christmas present for the cook two years ago. -Prince, meet Sandy.” - -Promptly, the dog turned to Sandy and raised his right paw. - -“How do you do, Prince,” Sandy said solemnly, taking the paw and shaking -it. “Say, he is smart.” - -Jerry and Quiz came out on the porch a few minutes later, and Russ -entertained the boys by putting Prince through some of his tricks. But -the dog was temporarily forgotten when a rangy, string bean of a man -arrived with a huge tray piled high with sandwiches and a pitcher of -lemonade. - -“This is Lars Johannsen,” Russ introduced him to the boys. “He’s my cook -and caretaker. Lars used to cook in a lumber camp, so he’s used to chow -hounds. Dig in, fellows.” - -Johannsen, who had lank blond hair bleached white by the sun, and a -drooping mustache, flashed a snaggle-toothed grin. “Ya, you eat all you -want,” he said with just a trace of a Scandinavian accent. “Plenty more -to eat in kitchen.” - -“You don’t have to coax me,” Jerry said, grabbing a big, two-inch-thick -sandwich in each hand. “I’m famished.” - -“Didn’t they feed you on the plane?” Russ asked. - -“Sure,” Sandy told him. “We had a big breakfast just before we landed. -But Jerry is the hungriest man alive.” - -“If he keeps it up, he won’t make the football team this year,” Quiz -said dryly. “He’ll be too fat to bend over to center the ball.” - -“Look who’s calling who fat!” Jerry spluttered between mouthfuls. “The -original blob in person.” - -Quiz sniffed. “My mother thinks I’m perfect just the way I am. When this -baby fat drops off, I’ll have a physique the likes of which you’ve never -seen.” - -“_That_ I can believe!” Jerry said. - -“Break it up, boys,” Russ laughed. “After a month in the woods, you’ll -both be slim as reeds and hard as rocks.” - -“Will we really be camping out for the whole month?” Sandy asked -curiously. - -“Well, we’ll always be on the move. Of course, there will be times when -we’ll stop over at ranger stations or lumber camps. But for the most -part, we’ll be roughing it in the best frontier tradition.” - -“What time do we leave?” Jerry wanted to know. - -“Tomorrow morning at six. Packs will be rolled before we hit the sack -tonight.” - -“Packs?” Jerry asked. - -Russell Steele nodded as he relit his pipe with a long wooden match. “A -conventional infantryman’s pack. Bedroll, shelter half, tent pegs, mess -kit, raincoat, socks, underwear, spare shirt and levis, canned goods, -K-rations, toothbrush, shaving kit, trenching tools, and, of course, a -canteen and cup on your belt. We’ll split up the larger utensils—pots -and frying pans.” - -Jerry James jumped up, stood at attention and threw off a snappy salute. -“Yes, sir! Hut-two-three-four! We’re in the Army now. We march at dawn.” - -Russ grinned appreciatively; then he said in his most authoritative, -military manner, “There’s just one thing, soldier. You don’t salute with -a boloney sandwich in your hand.” - - - - - CHAPTER TWO - Into the Woods - - -After a pre-dawn breakfast of sausage, eggs and flapjacks, Russell -Steele and the three boys strapped on their packs and walked down to the -dock where Lars Johannsen was warming up the cabin cruiser. Prince was -running back and forth on the pier, barking excitedly. - -Jerry eased his thumbs under the pack straps where they cut into his -shoulders. “Boy, this stuff is heavy. You mean to say soldiers carry all -this weight for miles and miles?” - -“More weight than that,” Russ told him. “Our packs don’t weigh more than -thirty or forty pounds. An infantryman may pack better than sixty -pounds. And that doesn’t include his cartridge belt and rifle.” - -“Me for the Navy,” Quiz said emphatically. - -Russ laughed. “After a few days you won’t even realize your pack is -there.” - -The sun, a steaming red ball through the morning mist over the lake, was -just showing above the treetops as they climbed aboard the cruiser. Russ -cast off and the cook advanced the throttle slowly. With a roar of the -twin exhausts, the sleek craft shot away from the dock, her bow lifting -as it cleaved through the clear, blue water. Prince scrambled up on the -top deck and stood at the prow, leaning forward into the fine spray -whipping back across the cabin. - -“He’s got a fine pair of sea legs,” Jerry said. - -Sandy laughed. “Two pairs, you mean. He looks like a figurehead on one -of those old sailing ships, doesn’t he?” - -Russ outlined the month’s itinerary: “Lars will drop us off at the -northeast corner of the lake, and we’ll strike out for Big Falls. From -Big Falls we’ll head south to Bow String Lake, and from Bow String west -back to the lodge. Actually, we’ll be traveling in a big triangle, about -one hundred and twenty miles altogether, I’d say.” - -“This is a lumber region, isn’t it, Mr. Steele?” Quiz asked. “I’ve -always wanted to see lumberjacks at work.” - -“You’ll have your chance, Quiz,” Russ promised him. “Although the lumber -industry in Minnesota is only a shadow of what it used to be. A little -more than a century ago, more than three quarters of the state was -forested. But ruthless cutting of timber without any thought of -conservation or restocking has all but wiped out the great pine forests -of the Lake States. The short-sighted men responsible never stopped to -consider how long it takes a tree to grow. Why, some of these big -fellows are mere babies after one hundred years.” - -The little launch was fairly skimming across the mirror-like surface of -the lake now. There wasn’t a hint of a breeze, and although it was still -early morning, the sun burned down so intensely that they had to string -up an awning over the rear deck. - -“Another scorcher,” Russ said grimly. - -Lars grunted. “We better get rain soon, or we have pretty big trouble. -One spark in these woods and _poof_!” He threw up his hands. - -Russ spoke seriously to the boys. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to -forgo the joys of the evening campfire. It would be much too dangerous. -I brought along a Coleman stove to cook on.” - -Jerry was disappointed. “Heck, that’s half the fun of camping -out—shooting the breeze around the fire.” - -“I feel bad about it myself,” Russ agreed. “But if you ever had had the -misfortune to see a forest fire at first hand, you’d understand that -it’s out of the question.” - -“Have you ever seen one close?” Sandy asked him. - -“Yes, I did. Down in Southern California a couple of years ago. It was -the most horrible experience of my life.” He seemed to go tense at the -recollection. - -Jerry shivered and gazed intently at the approaching shoreline; the -foliage stretched away unbroken to the horizon like a roof over the -forest. “I’d hate to be somewhere in the middle of that if a fire did -break out.” - -“I don’t think we have anything to worry about, as long as we’re -careful,” Russ assured him. “And you don’t have to worry about the -natives; their livelihoods—and lives—depend on good fire-prevention -habits.” - -“That’s all well and good, sir,” Quiz said somberly, “but what about -lightning?” He studied the cloudless sky arching all about them like a -pale-blue china bowl. “When this hot spell breaks, you can bet it will -break with a ripsnorting thunder-and-lightning storm.” - -“You’re a cheerful sort,” Jerry grumbled. - -Russ Steele’s brow furrowed in concentration. “It’s a good point, Quiz. -All we can do is hope that if lightning does ignite any small fires, a -good rain will follow soon enough to douse them.” - -“Don’t they have fire spotters in these woods?” Sandy asked. - -“Certainly. The U.S. Forest Service has rangers stationed in fire towers -throughout all critical areas on twenty-four-hour duty. But there’s an -awful lot of territory to cover. Many times a blaze will be out of -control before it’s detected.” - -The conversation broke off as the shoreline loomed up rapidly now. Lars -steered the launch toward a rickety wooden dock before a small frame -bungalow set back about 100 feet from the water’s edge. - -“An old army buddy of mine owns that camp,” Russ told them. “He won’t be -up until the hunting season.” - -As Lars maneuvered the launch expertly alongside the dock, Russ leaped -out and gave the mooring line a few turns around a piling. He lent a -hand to each of the boys in turn as they stepped up on the gunwale and -hopped gingerly across to the wooden platform. - -“These packs throw you off balance,” Quiz grumbled, heading gratefully -for solid land. - -They all laughed as Prince, who was leaning far out over the bow -watching the fish dart about in the clear water, lost his footing and -went tumbling into the lake. He surfaced and went streaking for shore -like a seal. The big dog scrambled out of the lake a few feet away from -Quiz and shook himself vigorously, sending the spray flying in all -directions. - -“Hey!” Quiz complained, stumbling backward. “Somebody turn off the -sprinkler system.” - -“Now, you won’t have to take a bath tonight,” Jerry kidded him. - -When he was through shaking, Prince sat down on the bank and watched -them with his head cocked to one side. - -“I think he wants to go with us,” Sandy suggested. - -“Take him along,” Lars said. “The exercise will do him good.” - -“Good idea,” Russ agreed. “All right, boy, you can come with us if you -want to.” - -Lars gunned the motor and waved. “Well, so long. Have a good time.” - -Russell Steele cast off the mooring line. “We will, Lars. And I promise -to take good care of Prince.” - -Lars laughed. “Prince take good care of you, I think. See you in couple -of weeks.” - -The boys watched until the boat was just a speck in the distance. “What -a sweet outfit that is, Mr. Steele,” Jerry said admiringly. “I could -spend the whole summer just cruising around the lake like that.” - -Russ took out his pipe and filled it from a plastic pouch. “Before you -go back to California, we’ll try and get some water skiing in.” - -“Boy, that will be great.” - -Russ led the way up the beach to the bungalow. “We’ll fill our canteens -with fresh water from the pump behind the house and be on our way.” - -They struck out through a grove of pines with Russ leading the way. The -boles were thick around as a man and clean of limbs for about thirty -feet up. A dim, soothing green light filtered down through the -interlaced canopy of branches above them. - -“It reminds me of a cathedral,” Sandy said. - -The silence was eerie; their footsteps were almost soundless on the -spongy forest floor. - -“It’s like walking on cotton,” Jerry said. “This must be the softest -ground in the world.” - -“We’re really not walking on the ground,” Russ said. “The duff and humus -here must be a foot thick.” - -“What’s duff and humus?” Jerry demanded. - -“Decayed vegetable matter,” Quiz translated promptly. “Falling pine -needles, scraps of bark, dead plants and bushes.” - -As they got farther away from the lake, the matter underfoot began to -rustle crisply. A pine cone fell, rattling through the dry boughs. Russ -glanced up and frowned. - -“If only it would rain,” he sighed. - -At the end of the first hour, he called a halt. “Ten-minute break.” The -boys protested that they weren’t tired yet, but he was adamant. “If you -walk until you’re tired, you won’t want to get up again. A ten-minute -break every hour helps prevent fatigue. And remove your packs. The idea -is to relax completely.” - -Jerry sat down with his back to a tree and removed his left shoe and -sock to examine a red welt on his instep. “Gee, I think I’m getting a -blister.” - -“Let’s see.” Russ came over and knelt down by him. “Hmmm, it looks that -way.” He went to his pack, got out a first-aid kit and found a Band-aid. - -As he applied the little adhesive bandage to the blister, his eyes fell -on Jerry’s sock lying on the ground. - -“Is that a cotton sock?” he asked sharply. - -“Yes, sir,” Jerry answered. - -“I told you fellows distinctly to wear wool socks, didn’t I?” - -Jerry’s face reddened. “Yes, but it was so darned hot that I thought—” - -“Jerry,” Russ said patiently, “I didn’t tell you to wear wool socks just -to make you uncomfortable. I wanted to save you a lot of agony. If you -keep on wearing those thin socks for a couple of days, we’ll have to -carry you back on a stretcher.” - -Sandy and Quiz stood nearby curiously. “How’s that, Uncle Russ?” Sandy -asked. - -“A good pair of heavy wool socks protects your feet; keeps them dry and -won’t bunch up in blister-making creases. Any soldier or woodsman, -anybody who does a lot of hiking, can tell you. In my old army outfit, -wearing cotton socks on a hike was a punishable offense.” - -“Hear, hear!” Quiz said with relish. “I vote we assign Jerry to -permanent KP duty for fouling things up.” - -Sandy grinned. “I second the motion.” - -Jerry’s lantern jaw sagged. “Aw, fellers, have a heart! General Steele, -I appeal to you.” - -Russ laughed. “I have to admit that sounds a trifle severe. Let’s -compromise. Jerry, you can consider yourself on special detail for one -night. All the mess kits and pans.” - -Jerry relaxed against his tree. “Whew! That was close. I thought for a -while you were going to court-martial me.” - -“I’m all for it,” Quiz said testily. “Personally speaking, I think you -ought to face a firing squad.” He ducked as Jerry let a pine cone fly at -his head. - -Prince went running after the cone, retrieved it and dropped it in -Jerry’s lap. The boy scowled at the others as he scratched the big dog -behind the ears. “At least I have one friend in the crowd,” he said. - - - - - CHAPTER THREE - A Midnight Visitor - - -At noon they stopped in a small clearing for a quick K-ration lunch. The -boys were intrigued by the contents of the oblong, waxed-cardboard -boxes. - -Jerry announced the articles as he removed them. “Biscuits, fig bar, -instant coffee, sugar, a can of cheese and bacon—say, who ever said the -army eats bad!” - -Russell Steele placed a pot of water on the Coleman stove. “Nobody ever -said the army eats bad. Matter of fact, it eats darn good. There’s -nothing wrong with K-rations, except that a steady diet of them can get -monotonous.” - -When they were finished eating, Sandy and Jerry scooped out a deep hole -in the forest floor with their shovels and buried the garbage. - -“Ordinarily, I’d prefer to burn it,” Russ told them, “but a fire is out -of the question now.” - -They resumed walking until about four-thirty, when Russ consulted the -walk-o-meter strapped to his leg. “Well, we made fifteen miles today. -That’s not bad,” he said. “Let’s call it a day.” - -Quiz groaned as he dropped his pack to the ground. “I am so pooped, I -could crawl into my bedroll right this minute.” - -“Without supper?” Jerry asked incredulously. - -“Frankly, yes.” - -Russ frowned. “None of that, Quiz. You’ve got to eat, even if you have -to force every mouthful down. If you don’t, you’ll be weak as a cat -tomorrow.” - -Sandy looked around at the tall trees towering over them like giants -with their arms outstretched. A chill ran along his spine. “Have you -ever noticed how nature seems to work against you when you’re out in the -wilderness like this? It’s constantly playing tricks on you. Like Quiz -being too tired to eat, or people falling asleep in the snow and -freezing to death. All your instincts seem to be wrong. It’s scary, sort -of.” - -Russell Steele nodded soberly. “The Indians used to say that the -wilderness spirits resented the intrusion of the white man because he -came to destroy the forests and the wild beasts. They attributed all -kinds of devilment to the spirits. Whenever a white man was lost in the -woods, mauled by a bear, injured by a falling tree or struck by -lightning, the tribal medicine men would nod their heads wisely.” - -“Heathen superstition,” Quiz sniffed. - -Jerry looked around nervously. “Not so loud, huh. Just in case.” - -Sandy and his uncle laughed. “Okay,” Russ said. “That’s all the folklore -for one day. Let’s eat.” - -They camped in a small clearing on the bank of a stream, which Russ said -had once been a raging torrent. Now, only a thin rivulet of water -trickled through the rocky bed. Russ scooped out a hollow where the -water flowed between two boulders, to form a small pool, so that they -were able to wash up and fill their canteens. - -Supper consisted of canned beans, bacon and pan-fried biscuits. Everyone -ate heartily, with the exception of Prince, who turned up his nose at -the conglomeration of food they piled up on a tin plate for him and -stalked off into the woods. - -“Probably off to catch himself a rabbit,” Russ said. - -Jerry wrinkled up his nose distastefully. “And I thought he was a nice -dog. That’s cruel.” - -“Don’t be a dope,” Sandy said. “Is it any more cruel than slaughtering -cows, pigs, sheep and little lambs to feed our faces?” - -“Animals are nicer than people,” Quiz said. “They only kill each other -for food. It’s the beautiful balance of nature. The fish and birds eat -the insects; and they in turn provide food for the larger animals. Every -living thing has its place and purpose.” - -“Even snakes?” Jerry asked, suddenly scanning the ground suspiciously. - -“Even the snakes,” Quiz said. - -Sandy laughed. “Don’t look so worried, Jerry. They won’t bother you -unless you bother them first. I read it in a book.” - -“Yeah,” Jerry said. “But how do I know the snakes around here read the -same book?” He grinned as the other two boys moaned and rocked back and -forth with their heads in their hands. “It wasn’t _that_ bad, fellows.” - -Russ put down his empty dish and began to fill his pipe. “I think a joke -like that rates KP for another night, at least.” - -Sandy and Quiz helped Jerry clear up the mess kits, forks and pans and -carry them down to the pool. - -“Hey,” Sandy remembered suddenly, “we didn’t bring any soap powder. How -can he wash these greasy things in cold water without a strong soap?” - -“We could boil some water,” Quiz suggested. - -Russ got up from where he was relaxing against a tree and joined them. -“What’s the matter with sand?” he asked. - -“Sand!” the boys chorused together. - -“Sure, it’s the best detergent there is. Mix up some of that fine sand -on the bank with a little water and you’ll get these utensils as -sparkling clean as your mothers’ best silverware.” He turned away, -shaking his head. “Fine lot of woodsmen we’d be, going camping with a -case of soap powder and steel wool.” - -While Jerry was finishing up the dishes, Russell Steele showed Sandy and -Quiz how to erect the pup tents. “Each of us has a shelter half in his -bedroll,” he explained. “Half of a tent, to be exact, with enough wooden -pegs to anchor it to the ground. We also have one ridgepole apiece. When -we pair off, we have the makings for a complete tent; that’s how they do -it in the army.” - -From the creek, Jerry yelled, “What happens if there’s one guy left -over?” - -Russ laughed. “He stands first tour of guard duty.” - - -The sky was still light when they crawled into their bedrolls. Sandy and -his uncle shared one tent, and Quiz and Jerry the other. - -Jerry sighed contentedly as he lay back. “I must be tired. This old -ground feels like a feather mattress to my weary bones.” - -“Don’t forget,” Sandy called from the other tent, “you’re lying on a bed -of duff and pine needles.” - -“You guys are crazy,” Quiz grumbled. “It’s okay if you lie flat, I -guess. But I can only sleep on my side. What are you supposed to do with -your hips?” - -“That’s what you get for being so fat,” Jerry chortled gleefully. - -“Try scooping out a hole for your hip to fit into,” Russ suggested. - -Quiz unzipped his sleeping bag and sat up. Working with his fingers, he -shaped a small hollow in the soft duff, then settled down again. “Ahhh, -that’s better,” he said with satisfaction. - -“You see,” Jerry gloated, “there are some things you can’t learn in -books.” - -“Oh, shut up!” Quiz mumbled. - -Before Sandy dropped off to sleep, he heard Prince return to camp. The -big Doberman took a long drink from the creek and then settled down in -front of the tent at Russell Steele’s feet. His presence there gave -Sandy a feeling of warm comfort. - -It seemed to Sandy that he had just closed his eyes when the noise of -voices, barking and the pounding of his own heart jolted him out of a -deep sleep. For a moment he lay there, paralyzed by terror. He opened -his eyes, then shut them quickly as a blinding spot of light knifed -painfully into his optic nerves. He had caught a fleeting glimpse of his -uncle sitting up and clinging to Prince’s collar with one hand. - -With the full return of consciousness, Sandy could make out a strange -voice talking earnestly and urgently to Russell Steele. - -“... they’ve been on your trail since noon, General Steele. The Forest -Service has had every ranger in the district looking for you. I spotted -your dog from my fire tower about eight o’clock and started to follow -him. Of course, he lost me pretty quick, but I knew you had to be -somewhere in the vicinity.” - -“Like finding a needle in a haystack,” Russell Steele said. “You must -know these woods, all right.” - -“My fire tower is about five miles from here. I’ll take you there and we -can radio headquarters. They’ll hook you up direct with Washington.” - -Shading his eyes against the light, Sandy sat up. “What’s up, Uncle -Russ?” - -“Oh, Sandy, you’re awake. Good. We’ll have to break camp immediately. -The Pentagon has been trying to get in touch with me. Very urgent. This -is Dick Fellows, Sandy; he’s a U.S. Forest Ranger.” - -“Hi,” Sandy said, squinting at the young man who was crouched in front -of their tent. - -The ranger touched two fingers to his stiff-brimmed hat and grinned. -“Sorry to disturb your sleep. You guys must be plenty tired if this is -your first day on the trail.” He stretched out one hand toward Prince, -who was still growling suspiciously deep in his throat. “Your friend -here doesn’t trust midnight visitors.” - -Russ released his grip on the dog’s collar and gave him a light smack on -the rump. “He’ll be all right, now that he knows you’re not an enemy. He -wouldn’t have attacked you, in any case, unless you pulled a knife or a -gun. Prince has been trained to hold his quarry at bay until help -arrives.” - -Sandy climbed out of his bedroll. “I’d better go wake up the rest of the -gang.” - -“The rest of the gang is already awake,” Jerry’s voice sang out from the -darkness, “lying here quivering with our blankets pulled over our -heads.” - -Quiz Taylor crawled out of the tent on his hands and knees, fumbling in -his breast pocket for his eyeglass case. “This moron got it into his -thick head that we were being attacked by Indians from the reservation.” - -Dick Fellows laughed. “He’s partly right at that, I guess. My grandpaw -was a pure-blood Dakota.” - -Russell Steele struggled into his boots. “Well, suppose you escort us -back to your tepee, chief.” - - - - - CHAPTER FOUR - The Missing A-Bomb - - -They reached the ranger fire station shortly after three in the morning. -It was a tower of tubular steel reaching over one hundred feet into the -air. Jerry craned his neck at the small cabin perched on top of it, a -boxlike silhouette against the brilliant starlit sky. - -“You _live_ up there?” he asked the ranger. - -“Certainly,” Dick said. “It’s very comfortable.” - -He led the way up the flight of steel stairs that ran around the outside -of the tower. When they reached the platform at the top, Jerry looked -down and grabbed frantically at the guard railing. - -“Yipes! I can’t even see the ground.” - -The ranger pushed the door open, flicked on a wall switch, and a pale -amber light bulb flashed on in the middle of the ceiling. Sandy realized -that the one-roomed structure was larger than it had appeared from the -ground. There was a double-decker wooden bunk against one wall, a -comfortable-looking leather easy chair in the nearest corner, and three -straight-back wooden chairs. The wall opposite the bed was occupied by a -sprawling table; most of the table was taken up by a huge topographic -map, dotted with colored pins. A compass and a variety of other -instruments were scattered over the table. An impressive short-wave -radio rig sat in one corner. The other furnishings included a small -refrigerator, a foot locker and a bookcase. The four walls were solid -plate glass from waist-height to ceiling. - -“This is all right,” Jerry said. “Boy, I’d give plenty to have a little -hideaway like this.” - -Quiz walked across to the well-stocked bookcase and examined the titles. -“What a wonderful place to read and study,” he said enviously. - -“It has its advantages,” the ranger admitted. “But it sure gets lonely -at times.” - -It was the first time Sandy had got a good look at Dick Fellows. He was -a pleasant-faced young man with straight black hair, piercing eyes and -an aquiline nose. He wore the brown uniform of the Forest Service and -heavy storm boots. - -Quiz walked to one of the big picture windows and peered out. “I can’t -see anything,” he complained. - -“Light reflection,” the ranger explained, and flicked off the wall -switch, plunging the room into darkness. Immediately, the broad canopy -of the forest leaped into prominence, stretching away on all sides -beneath them. - -“What a view!” Sandy breathed. - -“Wait till you see it in the daylight,” Dick Fellows told him. He turned -the light on again and went across to the radio gear. “Have you ever -worked one of these things, General Steele?” - -Russell Steele grinned. “I had one of the first ham licenses in this -country, young fellow.” - -“Good; I’ll contact headquarters and turn it over to you.” - -Russell Steele looked slightly embarrassed. “I’m afraid I’ll have to ask -all of you to step outside until I find out what this is all about.” - -“Certainly, sir,” the ranger said. “I’ll take the boys downstairs and -give them a lecture on forestry.” He flicked on the switch and picked up -the transmitting mike, twirling dials with his free hand. - -“KYAT calling KVK.... Fire station KYAT calling headquarters.... Come -in, KVK....” - -As soon as contact had been established, Russell Steele slipped into the -operator’s chair and put on the earphones. - -The ranger and the boys made the long descent to the ground, where -Prince was waiting patiently at the foot of the stairs. He wagged his -tail and rubbed against them when they patted him, but occasionally he -would whimper and glance up anxiously at the top of the tower. - -“He’s wondering what happened to Uncle Russ,” Sandy said. - -Jerry followed the dog’s gaze. “I’m kind of curious to know what gives -up there, myself.” - -Dick Fellows held up his hand, motioning for silence. “Do you hear -that?” he asked. - -The boys stopped talking and listened. Faintly from the northwest there -came a distant rumble of thunder. - -“Maybe we’ll get some rain,” Sandy said hopefully. - -“Let’s hope so,” the ranger said. “And pray that it isn’t just a -lightning storm.” - -“Do you stay up all night looking for fires?” Quiz inquired. “In bad -seasons like this, I mean.” - -“Sometimes I do, when there’s been a lot of lightning striking in my -sector. Most nights I set my alarm clock to wake me up every few hours -or so.” - -“You live up here all year?” Jerry asked. - -“No, we only man these watchtowers during the fire season.” - -“How do you get food and water?” Sandy wanted to know. - -“There’s a stream just a few hundred yards back, and I get my supplies -by packhorse from headquarters.” Dick Fellows went on to describe the -fascinating life of a forest ranger. - -About twenty minutes later, Russ hailed them from the top of the tower. -“All clear. Come on up, boys.” - -As soon as Sandy stepped into the observation room, he knew that -whatever had transpired between his uncle and the Pentagon had been very -serious. Russell Steele’s face was gray beneath its tan, and it was the -first time in Sandy’s memory that he had ever looked his age. - -“Trouble, Uncle Russ?” he asked hesitantly. - -Russ nodded. “Bad trouble. The very worst.” - -“I don’t suppose you can tell us what it is, sir?” Dick Fellows said. - -“Well—it is top secret—for as long as it’s possible to keep it that -way.” Russ Steele seemed to be struggling with a problem. “Still—I’m -going to need all the help I can get. And we’re so isolated here that -there’s not much chance of a leak, even if you were inclined to blab -about it. Which I know you wouldn’t be,” he added hastily. - -“You have my word, sir,” the ranger said quietly. - -“And ours,” the boys chorused soberly. - -There was a glint of determination in the older man’s eyes. “Good. I -think you can help. You’re all familiar with the Strategic Air Command, -aren’t you?” - -“SAC Never Sleeps!” Quiz recited the slogan of the famous Air Force arm. -“Their bombers are in the air twenty-four hours a day. If the United -States was ever attacked, SAC stratojet bombers armed with A-bombs would -be on their way to knock out vital targets in the enemy’s homeland -within seconds.” - -Russ Steele nodded. “That’s pretty accurate, Quiz. The Strategic Air -Command is the watchdog of our borders. Now, for an outfit that is -literally flying twenty-four hours a day, their safety record is -amazing; statistics show that a man is safer riding in an SAC bomber -than he is driving in the family car.” The muscles tightened across his -prominent cheekbones. “But accidents do happen. And last night a B-52 -stratofortress had a serious accident.” - -“I heard about that on the radio,” Dick Fellows cut in. “It crashed -somewhere in Manitoba, Canada. All the crew were killed.” - -“That’s only part of the story,” Russ went on. “The last radio report -from the bomber placed it over Lake Superior. There was a small fire -aboard, but the radio operator thought they had it under control. -Shortly after that their transmitter conked out. The Air Force never -heard from them again—ship blew up in the air just south of White Mouth -Lake on the Canadian border.” - -Sandy and the others listened in shocked silence as he continued: “Most -of the wreckage has been recovered—and the bodies of the crew.” He -paused dramatically. “But there is absolutely no trace of the A-bomb -they were carrying.” - -Dick Fellows let out a long whistle of astonishment. “What happened to -it?” - -“Nobody knows. The most logical theory is that they jettisoned the bomb -when the fire began to get out of control. Over some desolate area. It -could have been dumped almost anywhere between Lake Superior and the -scene of the explosion. Search teams have been out scouring the most -populated areas since dawn yesterday; they’re the critical points. Not -that there’s any danger of the bomb detonating, but a thing like this -could cause a lot of hysteria. Then there’s the matter of secrecy.” He -grinned wryly. “It wouldn’t do for the wrong kind of people to find -it—the kind who would put up a tent around it and sell tickets.” - -Quiz frowned. “If the bomb casing is cracked or otherwise mutilated, -wouldn’t there be some danger from radioactivity?” - -Russ Steele regarded the boy solemnly. “I’d prefer not to discuss that -aspect right now, Quiz. We won’t be in any danger searching for it, I -can tell you that much. The Air Force is going to drop us a couple of -Geiger counters from a helicopter tomorrow morning. So we’ll have ample -warning if we approach an area contaminated by radioactivity.” - -Quiz Taylor’s eyes were enormous behind his thick glasses. “_We’re_ -going to look for it?” - -“That’s what the call from the Pentagon was all about. They knew I was -up here and they want me to take charge of the search operation in this -area. We won’t have any help from the military until the more densely -populated areas have a clean bill of health, but we’ll do the best we -can in the meantime.” - -He turned to Dick Fellows. “Ranger headquarters are advising all fire -stations within a forty-mile radius to clear the woods of campers, -fishermen and sight-seers.” - -“You folks are the only party I’ve seen in my sector in weeks.” - -“Good. And now I’d suggest that we all get to bed for what’s left of the -night. Tomorrow will be a rough day.” He glanced at their packs piled up -in the middle of the room. “There’s plenty of room for us to spread our -sleeping bags on the floor.” - -“You can take my bunk, sir,” the ranger said quickly. - -Russ smiled. “That’s mighty generous of you, Dick, but I wouldn’t hear -of it. I’ve imposed on you enough for one night.” - -When his four guests were settled in their bedrolls, the ranger turned -out the lights and scanned the surrounding woods carefully from all four -windows. - -“I guess it’ll keep till morning,” he said wearily, as he stretched out -on his bunk. - -Just before he fell off to sleep, Sandy was aware of a tremendous -luminous flash in the sky to the northwest. “Heat lightning,” he heard -the ranger mumble, but he was too exhausted to worry about it. - - - - - CHAPTER FIVE - Lightning Strikes - - -The storm hit with the suddenness and impact of an earthquake at 6:00 -A.M. An ear-splitting crash sent the five sleepers jerking up like -jack-in-the-boxes. On all sides of the tower the sky was alive with -jagged streaks of lightning. The thunder rolled through the air in -continuous waves, shaking the earth. The tower creaked and trembled -violently. Sandy saw a pair of binoculars on the table dance crazily -over the edge and crash to the floor. - -Dick Fellows leaped out of his bunk in T-shirt and shorts and swept the -other instruments off the table. “A couple of you up here!” he shouted. -“The rest of you pile onto chairs or my bunk. Insulated glass legs. Save -your life if the tower’s hit. Keep your feet off the floor.” - -Sandy kicked out of his bedroll and scrambled up on the table. Jerry and -Quiz dove headlong onto the bunk. In a more leisurely fashion, Russ -Steele and the ranger sat down on high stools. - -They had just settled themselves when they were blinded by a tremendous -ball of blue fire that shimmered in mid-air just outside the north -window. An instant later, they were deafened by an explosion that -sounded like the end of the world. The tower bucked madly, and Sandy was -sure it was going to topple over or collapse. Gradually his vision -cleared to reveal the most terrifying sight that he had ever witnessed -in his entire life. The whole room was full of tiny blue sparks that -sizzled as they ran in chains across the icebox and stove and along the -metal strips of molding that trimmed the edges of the floor and ceiling. -Everything metal was encircled by a sparkling halo. He could scarcely -believe his eyes when he looked at the other people in the room. Quiz -Taylor’s long hair was standing up perfectly straight on his head like a -brush; the same was true of his uncle and Dick Fellows. His own scalp -tingled strangely, and he could feel it bristle. Only Jerry’s close -crew-cut was unaffected. - -“Don’t be frightened,” the ranger said calmly. “There’s no danger as -long as you sit tight.” - -“On the contrary,” Quiz said brightly. “I wouldn’t have missed this for -the world.” He grinned as he touched a hand to his hair. “A fascinating -phenomenon of static electricity. Those sparks, too; they’re harmless.” - -“You and your education!” Jerry moaned. “I’m petrified. Say, how long do -these things last?” - -The ranger shrugged. “Hard to say. Maybe ten minutes; maybe an hour.” -His face was grave with concern. “And every minute it lasts increases -the chance of one of those bolts starting a fire. If only it would -rain!” - -Sandy suddenly remembered the dog, who had remained below on the ground. -“Poor Prince. I wonder how he’s taking this?” - -The ranger smiled. “Unless I miss my guess, he’s holed up under my -dynamo shack out back—along with an assortment of rabbits, squirrels and -chipmunks. There’s nothing like a little lightning to make buddies out -of natural enemies.” - -“I wish I was with him,” Jerry said, “instead of sitting on top of this -giant lightning rod.” - -Abruptly it began to rain, a driving downpour, and miraculously, it -seemed to Sandy, the lightning stopped. The boys began to cheer and -crowded against the windows, watching the drops pelt the treetops below. -But their elation didn’t last very long. In less than five minutes, the -rain ceased, as if a giant sprinkler had been turned off. Within a -quarter of an hour, the clouds disappeared and the sun beamed through. -Thin wisps of steam began to rise from the leaves, giving the illusion -that the entire forest was smoking. - -Dick Fellows slouched despondently on his stool. “I knew it. Not even -enough to moisten the ground. And God knows what that lightning started. -A couple of good bolts hit trees; I could hear it.” - -Sandy scanned the woods to the horizon on all sides. “I don’t see -anything to worry about. No fire, no smoke.” - -“It’s not that simple,” the ranger told him. “A fire may be burning for -days before it’s even detected, particularly in stands of -conifers—pines, spruce, et cetera—where the duff is thick. For example, -suppose one of those lightning bolts struck a snag—a dead tree—all dry -and punky like those sticks the kids light fireworks with. Maybe there’s -a single spark smoldering deep down in the trunk, below the surface. -Maybe it’s as big around as a pea today; tomorrow it may be the size of -a penny. It’s got plenty of time—and lots of fuel. Slowly it will -spread, eating up through the duff until it reaches the surface. Now, -it’s really ready to go, once it hits the open air and has all that -lovely litter on the forest floor to feed on. If we’re lucky, we’ll spot -it now because of the smoke.” He stared out grimly across the trees. -“With everything so dry, we’d have to be real lucky to control it before -it blazes up in the brush and crowns.” - -“Crowns?” Jerry said doubtfully. - -“Burns through the top of the trees,” Quiz explained, “in the foliage.” - -“That’s _real_ trouble,” the ranger said. He turned to Russ Steele. -“Gee, sir, I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you out today. I’m going -to have to stay rooted up here for the next twenty-four hours.” - -“Don’t apologize,” Russ said. “First things first. A forest fire at this -time could really complicate my problem.” - -“Hey!” Sandy exclaimed. “What would happen if that missing A-bomb was -smack in the middle of a raging forest fire?” - -Russ Steele looked vaguely troubled. “I don’t know for sure. Probably -nothing. It would depend on a great many factors. I’m not anxious to -find out, I can tell you.” - -The drone of a plane motor suddenly drew their attention to the east -window. “It’s a helicopter!” Quiz said excitedly. - -“Come on!” Russ said, heading for the door. “Let’s go downstairs.” - -No sooner had they reached the ground than Prince came crawling out from -under a small shed at the edge of the clearing, barking happily and -leaping all over Russ Steele. Russ scratched his head, chuckling. “Dick -had you pegged dead to rights, you old coward.” - -Jerry knelt down solemnly and held out his right hand to the dog. -“Shake, old buddy. Us cowards have to stick together.” - -The boys waved as the big chopper began to circle the tower in -tightening circles, losing altitude until it was almost level with the -observation booth. Slowly it cut speed, until at last it seemed to be -hanging motionless in space, held aloft by the great whirling rotors. A -hatch opened in the bottom of the fuselage, and a crate was let down -carefully on the end of a cable. Before it could touch the ground, Russ -Steele rushed over and grabbed it, bringing the fragile package gently -to earth. Quickly, he unhooked the cable and waved up at the helicopter. -The cable was reeled in smoothly, then with a roar of its engines, the -copter leaped into the air. Minutes later it disappeared over the -treetops. - -The boys watched with interest as Russ Steele unpacked the carton and -removed two oblong black Bakelite boxes from the packing. They had a -very unscientific, unprepossessing appearance. - -“Is that all a Geiger counter is?” Jerry said with a trace of -disappointment. “The transformer on my old electric trains looks more -complicated.” - -Russ smiled. “The Geiger counter is very simple, Jerry—especially when -you consider how delicate it is and what it can accomplish.” - -“How does it work?” Sandy asked. - -“We made one in the science lab once,” Quiz said eagerly. “It’s just two -electrodes, really. One of the electrodes is a thin metal cylinder; the -other is a metal wire enclosed in a glass tube filled with gas—like a -neon light. When the counter is brought near any radioactive substance, -the rays given off ionize the gas—so it can conduct electricity—allowing -the current to jump the gap and close the circuit, the same way it does -when you switch on a light—” - -“Only instead of a light, it activates an audible indicator,” Russ said. -“That’s the _clack-clack_ you hear when the counter detects -radioactivity. Look how sensitive it is.” He held one of the black boxes -near his wrist watch, and it began to chatter vigorously. - -“Holy cow!” Jerry exclaimed, leaping backward. - -Russ laughed. “That’s the infinitesimal grain of radium in the luminous -dial. So, you can feel secure that it will warn us if we enter an area -where there’s any unusual radioactivity.” - -He rummaged around in the carton and pulled out two canvas straps. -“These hook on the ends so the counter can be slung across your shoulder -like a camera.” - -Prince came over and sniffed suspiciously at the plastic boxes. “Nothing -to eat there, feller,” Sandy told him. - -“Eat! That’s a good idea,” Jerry said. “I’m famished.” - -Quiz was disgusted. “Only Jerry could think of food at a time like this. -Who cares about eating when there’s an A-bomb lying right at your -door-step?” - -“I hope _not_,” Jerry said, looking around with an expression of -exaggerated horror. - -“Jerry’s right,” Russ said firmly. “The first order of the day is to -pack away a substantial breakfast. We may be tramping through the woods -until dark. Let’s go upstairs and see what Ranger Fellows has cooking.” -He gathered up the two Geiger counters and walked to the tower. - -Prince whined reprovingly as they left him at the foot of the steps. -“I’ll bring you down a bowl of chow right away,” Sandy promised. - -They were halfway up the stairs when a sudden thought struck Jerry. -“Say, Mr. Steele, what would happen if one of those big lightning bolts -hit that atomic bomb square on the nose?” - -Russ Steele’s face contracted in a sour grimace. “I don’t know. And stop -trying to spoil my appetite.” - - - - - CHAPTER SIX - A Futile Search - - -Immediately after breakfast, they set out north from the ranger station. - -“We’ll be back in three days,” Russ Steele told Dick Fellows. “Using -your station as a base, we’re going to cover all the territory between -the Black River and the Rapid River, from Red Lake to the Canadian -border.” - -“Good luck,” the ranger said. “I hope I can be of some help to you.” - -Russ shook the young man’s hand. “You have already, Dick.” - -As they started through the woods, with Prince crashing through the -underbrush ahead of them, Sandy was pessimistic. “How much ground do we -have to cover, Uncle Russ?” - -“One hundred and twenty square miles or thereabouts. I’m not sure -exactly.” - -“It seems so hopeless,” Sandy said. “I read in the paper about an -airplane that crashed in the north woods with three men aboard and they -didn’t find it for four months. A bomb—even an A-bomb—must be -considerably smaller than a two-engine plane.” - -Russ nodded grimly. “It’s a big order, all right. But don’t forget, -there are, or soon will be, hundreds of teams like ours, each covering -an assigned sector. If we’re all thorough and painstaking, we’ll find -the bomb sooner or later.” - -“What about air patrols, General Steele?” Quiz asked. “Why can’t the Air -Force retrace the route of the B-52 with another plane? Maybe they could -spot the bomb.” - -Russ Steele jerked his thumb up at the sky as a wedge of pursuit ships -droned overhead. “They’ve been doing that for two days, but it’s a long -shot. First of all, no one knows precisely what route that big bomber -was flying after the radio conked out. Secondly, it’s pretty difficult -to spot objects from the air, especially in heavily forested country -like this. An object can drop through this thick canopy of foliage and -leave no more trace than if it had fallen into the ocean. No, I’m afraid -this is a job for the foot soldiers.” - -“FOR-ward MARCH!” Jerry bellowed in a good imitation of a drill -sergeant. “Hut-two-three-four....” - -Russ laughed. “I’m afraid this operation calls for a loose formation, -Jerry. Suppose we maintain an interval of about fifteen hundred feet -between each two men. That will keep us within easy hailing distance of -each other. I’ll be on the right flank with one of the Geiger counters. -You boys can draw lots to see who takes the left flank with the other -counter.” He grinned. “That poor guy will have to walk a little more -than a mile before we even get started.” - -“I’ll be the fall guy,” Sandy volunteered. “I’m in better shape than -Jerry or Quiz.” - -Jerry sniffed. “Show-off! But I’m not proud,” he added hastily. “Go -ahead.” - -“That’s settled, then,” Russ said. “Our direction will be due north. You -all have compasses; check them regularly. All right, we may as well get -started.” He unstrapped the walk-o-meter from his leg and handed it to -Sandy. “You better take this to pace off the intervals. Quiz, Jerry and -I will wait until you’ve reached your position. Then you sing out and -the boys will pass the word down the line. If any of you see anything -unusual, sound off and sit tight until I get there.” He pointed to the -black box Sandy had slung over one shoulder. “And if that Geiger counter -begins to chatter, backtrack fast until it stops.” - -Time passed quickly for Sandy. He was a little lonely at first, but it -didn’t last long. There were so many fascinating things to be seen in -the forest when you were alert, he realized. Chipmunks and squirrels -spied on him from tree hollows. He passed within two feet of a rabbit -burrowed into a pile of leaves. A lizard that blended so perfectly into -the bark of a tree that it was invisible from more than twelve inches -away didn’t loose its rigidity, even when he touched its tail. After the -first hour, Prince came bounding through the brush to keep him company. -An hour later, the dog went off to join somebody else. At regular -intervals, the boys would call out to each other, though an attempt by -Sandy and Jerry to keep up a running conversation soon left both of them -hoarse. They had no chance to get bored. The enormity and excitement of -the mission they were performing saw to that. - -At noon, Russ Steele called a halt for lunch. “Stay where you are,” he -called to Quiz. “Break out a K-ration. Pass the word on to Jerry and -Sandy.” - - -Five hours later, they rendezvoused on the banks of a small river. -“We’ll camp here for tonight,” Russ said. “We should make the Canadian -border sometime tomorrow afternoon. There’s a logging camp up there, -Quiz, so you’ll get a chance to see lumberjacks at work.” - -“If I’m still alive,” Quiz said wearily. “I feel as if I’d walked a -hundred miles today.” - -Russ grinned. “Not quite. Maybe twenty.” - -Jerry looked up from a heaping mess kit of beef stew. “Twenty miles! -Say, that’s pretty good. Bet you never figured you’d ever be walking -that far, eh, Sandy?” - -“I’ll say.” Sandy, who had removed his shoes and socks, lifted one bare -foot and blew on it. “The soles of my feet feel all puffed up.” - -“Before you go to bed soak them in the river,” his uncle told him. -“Matter of fact, we can all use a good bath.” - -After they had finished eating, the boys teamed up to wash the mess kits -and pans. Then they stripped off their clothes on the river bank. - -“Last one in gets KP tomorrow night,” Russ said. He dove off a small -bluff, cleaving the water in a perfect racing dive. Prince was right at -his heels, yelping excitedly. - -“Boy, that dog sure loves to swim,” Jerry said. - -Russ surfaced and flicked water at the Doberman with the back of his -hand. “He’s a regular porpoise. Come on in, boys; it’s great.” - -Sandy walked gingerly down the steep bank and stepped into knee-deep -water. “Wow, is it cold!” - -“Sissy,” Jerry laughed and went splashing past him. “Yipes! It’s ice!” - -“Well, don’t kick it all over me!” Sandy roared. - -Quiz gritted his chattering teeth. “The only way to get into ice water -is _fast_.” He belly-whopped between Jerry and Sandy, spraying them from -head to foot. - -“You sneak,” Jerry gasped. - -“C’mon,” Sandy laughed. “Let’s duck him.” He dove in after Quiz. - -After a few minutes they began to enjoy their bath thoroughly. “It’s not -so cold,” Sandy said. - -Jerry flopped on his back and blew a stream of water into the air like a -whale. “We’re just too numb to feel it. Look, I’m turning blue.” - -“I don’t care. It feels like heaven after hiking twenty miles through -the woods with the temperature at an even hundred.” - -Russ swam over to them. “How do you know it was a hundred?” - -“I’ve got a thermometer,” Quiz told him. “In the little glade where I -ate lunch, it was one hundred degrees Fahrenheit at a quarter past -twelve.” - -Russ gazed somberly toward the forest. “If it doesn’t rain soon—well—I -don’t know.” - -A purple twilight was settling rapidly over the river as they toweled -their bodies briskly and dressed. By the time they finished putting up -the pup tents, it was dark. But even darkness brought little relief from -the heat that night. And the air was alive with mosquitoes, a few of -which managed to penetrate the netting. - -“How are we going to get any rest?” Jerry groaned. “It’s too hot to -climb into our sleeping bags and if we lie on top of ’em we’ll be eaten -alive.” - -Quiz sat up and searched through his pack. “I considered this -eventuality.” He held up a small aerosol bomb. “DDT. Shut your eyes and -hold your breath for a minute, Jerry.” He pointed it up in the air and -pressed down the button until the little enclosure was thick with white -mist. - -“I always knew you were a genius, Quiz,” Sandy yelled over from the -other tent. “How about lending it to us?” - -“Help yourself.” Quiz reached under the netting and rolled it over to -his friend. - -Jerry sighed blissfully as Quiz lay back. “That did the trick, Quiz, old -boy. You sure saved the day—the night, I mean.” - -Quiz grumbled as he rolled over on his side. “If I had _really_ been -smart, I would have brought along an inflatable mattress.” But two -minutes later he was asleep. - - -The new day dawned as bright and hot as the previous one. They broke -camp shortly after 8:00 A.M. and resumed their trek north at the same -500-yard intervals. The morning passed uneventfully. - -At noon, Sandy relayed a question down the line to his uncle: “When do -we eat?” - -Russ Steele asked the boys whether they could hold out for another hour. -“I think we can make the logging camp,” he explained. A chorus of “ayes” -answered him. - -Shortly after one o’clock, Sandy heard a loud crash in the distance. -Right after that Russ Steele rallied the boys around him. - -“We’re approaching the logging camp,” he told them. “That noise you just -heard was a tree being felled. Sandy, we’d better get these Geiger -counters out of sight. No use inviting a lot of questions that we can’t -answer. We’ll wrap them up in our shelter halves.” - -When that had been taken care of, Russ led the way forward. Gradually -the trees began to thin out and diminish in size. - -“This is a new stand,” Russ explained. “Nowadays, logging companies do -as much replanting as they do cutting. With proper methods of -conservation, they hope to undo some of the mistakes of their -predecessors.” - -A quarter of a mile farther on, they emerged into a large clearing in -which a half dozen low, sprawling buildings were situated. There was a -great deal of activity in the camp. Across the clearing, a convoy of -trucks jammed with lumberjacks pulled out of a dirt road and drew up in -front of one building where a long line was forming. Whooping and -laughing, the lumberjacks vaulted the tail gates of the trucks and piled -over the side-boards. - -Russ Steele smiled. “Chow time. That’s the mess hall.” - -“What’s their hurry?” Quiz asked. - -“I guess you get mighty hungry swinging an ax,” Sandy said. “I read once -that a logger eats about five thousand calories a day to keep him going, -as compared with the three thousand that the average man needs.” - -Jerry grunted. “My old man says I must eat close to ten thousand a day, -every time he has to pay the grocery bill.” - -“Ten thousand dollars’ worth a day?” Sandy said with a straight face. -“That sounds about right for you, chow hound.” - -Jerry clipped the tall, slender boy on the arm with his knuckles. -“Calories, you dope! Don’t get smart.” - -“I’ll bet neither one of you knows what a calorie is?” Quiz said dryly. - -Sandy’s forehead puckered up thoughtfully. “I think I do. It’s a unit of -energy, isn’t it?” - -“That’s close,” Quiz admitted. “It’s the amount of heat—heat is -energy—required to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree -Centigrade.” - -Jerry nudged Russ Steele. “Bet you didn’t know that, General Steele?” - -Russ smiled good-naturedly. “I had a vague idea it was something like -that. Let’s find the office. I used to know the foreman of this camp.” - -The boys eyed the lumberjacks admiringly as they walked by the mess -hall. Most of them were stripped to the waist, their muscles bunching -and rippling in their sun-bronzed arms and torsos as they moved about. -The cuffs of their sweat-blackened levis were tucked into the tops of -hobnailed boots. - -“Let’s recruit a couple of these bruisers for the Valley View football -team. Our line would be a stone wall for sure,” Jerry whispered to -Sandy. - -Russ took them around the end of the mess hall to a small frame shack in -the middle of the camp. A big collie was sitting in the open doorway. -Instinctively, Sandy reached down and got a hold on Prince’s collar. - -“They won’t fight,” Russ told him. “They’re old friends.” - -The collie, recognizing Russ, came bounding out of the shack and leaped -up on his chest, trying to lick his face. Russ pummeled him in the ribs -playfully. “Bruce, old feller, how are you?” He looked up as a short, -squat, bald-headed lumberjack appeared in the doorway. “Well, Jonas! I -figured they would have retired you by this time.” - -The man’s broad face lit up. “Russ Steele! You old dogface! What are you -doing here this time of year?” - -“Brought my nephew and a couple of his buddies up on a camping trip. -Boys, I’d like you to meet Jonas Driscoll, the toughest -bull-of-the-woods who ever swung an ax.” - -After the introductions, Jonas took them through the back door of the -mess hall while the two dogs chased each other around the compound. -“I’ll have Cookie fix them up a grand feed from the left-overs,” he -said. - -Sandy felt self-conscious as Jonas cut in at the head of the line and -picked up metal compartment trays and silverware for each of them. -“Won’t those other guys get sore?” he asked, as they walked away from -the serving table. - -Jonas laughed. “Naw, you’re company. Anyway, they’d be scared I’d -flatten ’em if they kicked.” - -There were about twenty wooden tables with benches running down each -side of the mess hall. Jonas led them to a table at the rear that was -almost empty. Salt- and pepper-shakers and clean cups were stacked in -the middle of each table. As they sat down, Jonas motioned to one of the -mess boys, a gangly youth about sixteen. “Let’s have a couple of -pitchers of iced tea here, son.” - -Jerry gazed bug-eyed at the five pork chops and the mounds of mashed -potatoes, vegetables and apple sauce heaped up on his tray. “This is -lunch?” - -Jonas Driscoll’s blue eyes twinkled. “Just a light snack, son. Wait till -you eat supper.” - -“Oh boy!” Jerry breathed rapturously. - -“You ought to sign him on one of your crews, Jonas,” Russ suggested. - -“He’s light on muscle—except between the ears,” Sandy said, “but he’s -got the appetite for it.” - -“I can’t get sore with all this lovely food in front of me,” Jerry said, -as he went to work with knife and fork. - -“You been a lumberjack long, Mr. Driscoll?” Sandy inquired. - -“Fifty years last May. Started in as a cook’s helper when I was -thirteen. And I expect to be at it another forty.” - -Russ looked across at his old friend fondly. “Logging is still a rugged -business, but nothing like it used to be in Jonas’ prime.” - -“I’ll tell the world,” the foreman agreed. “Electricity and the gasoline -engine have taken all the work out of it.” - -A kibitzing lumberjack at the end of the table held up his hands, thick -with calluses. “Is that _so_! Well, suppose you tell ’em where I got -_these_!” - -Jonas laughed good-naturedly. “You’re right, French. Them bulldozers and -power saws don’t help you sawyers much—not in this camp anyway.” He -turned to the boys. “They’re the boys who swing the axes and pull the -big cross-cut saws.” - -“Don’t all lumberjacks cut down trees?” Quiz wanted to know. - -“Not exactly. There’s a lot of different jobs in logging just like in -any other business. There’s sawyers, high riggers, yarders and river -hogs. After lunch, I’ll take you out to the stand we’re cutting now and -show you around.” - - - - - CHAPTER SEVEN - A Birling Match - - -In spite of the fact that Jonas Driscoll kept insisting that all the -glamour had gone out of logging, Sandy and the boys found the business -of cutting timber fascinating. The husky lumberjacks were amazingly -thorough and efficient. Jonas pointed out one massive pine, at least -three feet in diameter, that seemed to be the object of heated -discussion among the sawyer gang. Long strings with leaded weights -dangling at the ends were fixed on the trunk at various heights to -determine the tree’s angle to the ground. - -“Them plumb lines help ’em figure out which way that old feller would -fall naturally,” Jonas explained. “Then they got to take the wind into -account and the distribution of the foliage, plus a few other things. -After that the gang boss decides how to make it fall where he wants it -to.” - -“What difference does it make where it falls?” Jerry asked. - -“Well,” Jonas drawled, “a big feller like that could squash a whole crew -if it fell wrong, for one thing. Or it could end up leaning against -another tree, which is kind of messy.” He pointed out a stand of -seedlings to the left of the big tree. “Or it could break up a lot of -those babies; that’d be cheating your grandchildren out of some fine -timber. A good crew boss can drop a tree smack on a little wooden stake -and hammer it into the ground.” - -Quiz looked impressed. “I’d say your crew bosses must have a thorough -knowledge of mathematics to be able to predict the angle of fall so -accurately.” - -Jonas scratched his bald head. “Well, I don’t know, son. I suppose quite -a few of the boys these days have book learnin’. ’Course, in my day, the -way you made crew boss was to lick the old boss.” - -“Did anybody ever lick you, Mr. Driscoll?” Sandy asked. - -The old man drew back his lips, displaying two rows of broken teeth. “A -couple of times, as you can see.” - -They walked closer to the big pine tree as two muscular sawyers started -to make the undercut that would determine the direction the tree would -fall. The chips flew as their double-edged axes flashed in the sunlight, -and a wedge widened rapidly in the side of the trunk. Their strokes were -rhythmic and effortless. Jonas called their attention to the smoothness -of the undercut. - -“Good men,” he said. “The scarf is as clean as if it was cut by a saw.” - -When the undercut was completed to the crew chief’s satisfaction, two -other men went to work with a wicked-looking two-handled saw with a -curved blade. - -“We better mosey back to the sidelines,” Jonas told them. “Mistakes do -happen.” - -From a safe distance they watched until, at last, the tree began to -tremble throughout its length like a live thing. Before the saw was -completely through the trunk, there was a grinding, crackling noise and -the crown swayed and dipped. Suddenly there was a sharp report that -Sandy first mistook for an explosion. - -“She’s falling!” Jonas said. - -“_Tim-m-ber!_” the crew boss sang out at the top of his lungs as the -great tree toppled slowly and majestically. It landed with a thunderous -crash that blurred Sandy’s vision and jarred his teeth. And then, for a -full minute, it lay there, writhing and groaning like some prehistoric -monster in the throes of death. - -The boys were awed. - -“I never saw anything like it,” Jerry whispered. - -“It sort of gives you a lump in your throat,” Quiz said, his voice -touched with reverence. “That tree was probably hundreds of years old. -Now it’s gone.” - -Jonas dropped one hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Not really. That old tree -will help build a lot of fine houses and furnish ’em too. Studding, -shingles, chairs, tables, cabinets, the works.” - -Immediately, another crew with light power saws began cleaning the limbs -off the trunk. - -“Soon as she’s limbed,” Jonas explained, “they’ll cut up the trunk into -manageable lengths and the dozers and cranes will stack ’em in cold -decks.” He indicated a neat pile of logs at one side of the road. “In -the old days we had to let them sit here until winter when the roads -were iced over, so they’d slide easy behind the horses. Today, we use -trailer trucks.” - -“Makes it a lot easier on everybody, doesn’t it, Jonas,” Russ Steele -said. “Now, tell the truth, the ‘good old days’ weren’t really so good, -were they?” - -The old man grinned sheepishly. “Well—we got the job done just the -same,” he said lamely. - -Tractors, with thresher-like attachments, moved back and forth along the -length of the felled tree, gathering up the lopped-off branches and -chewing them up into smaller pieces. These scraps were later heaped up -into mounds. - -“Come winter, we’ll burn a lot of that slash and spread the ashes around -for fertilizer,” Jonas explained. - -“Must be quite a fire hazard in this weather,” Russ Steele said. - -The foreman’s mouth tightened. “This heat spell has everybody on edge. -It’s getting so I wake up every half hour at night, thinking I smell -smoke. We been posting fire watches out here on our own. Them poor -rangers got their hands full as it is. You really picked a bad time to -go camping, Russ. You going back to Red Lake from here?” - -Russ smiled evasively. “Oh, I don’t know. We thought we might go up to -the border and watch your boys run some of these logs down the big -river.” - -Jonas shook his head. “Water level’s too low. You boys want to see a -gen-u-wine logging drive, come back up here next spring.” - -Sandy was disappointed. “I sure hoped to see that. Do lumberjacks really -ride on top of the logs the way you see it in the movies?” - -Jonas raised an eyebrow. “I’ll say they do, son. Why a good river hog -can ride a fresh pine log through the mill tail as pretty as a Hawaiian -on a surfboard. Say, maybe we can put on a bit of a show for you at -that. C’mon.” - -He led them down the slope toward a small pond nestling in the valley. -On the way, he called to two loggers stacking logs. - -“Pete! Charley! Want to show off your birling for our visitors?” - -Wearing big grins, the two husky men fell in behind them. - -“Pete and Charley are the camp champs,” Jonas explained. - -“What’s birling?” Quiz asked. - -“A game the old-timers dreamed up to pass the time on long drives. Two -men set themselves on opposite ends of a log and then they try to shake -each other off into the drink.” - -“Oh, boy!” Jerry said. “That sounds like fun.” - -“It is fun,” Jonas agreed. “But it’s also become quite a skillful sport. -Wait till you see these boys go at it.” - -When they reached the pond, Pete and Charley carefully chose a log about -two feet in diameter and twelve feet long from a pile nearby and rolled -it into the water. Then they stepped onto opposite ends of the log and -Jonas shoved it into the middle of the pond with a long pole. The two -big men, hobnailed boots planted firmly in the bark, rode the bobbing -log like cats, their thumbs hooked nonchalantly in their belts. - -“Looks easy,” Jerry said. - -“Don’t kid yourself,” said Quiz. - -At a signal from Jonas, the contest began. Pete took the offensive at -once. Back-pedaling with short, mincing steps, he sent the log rolling -over and over in the water. Faster and faster his feet moved until the -log was a spinning blur beneath them. But Charley jogged effortlessly -with the spin, never once removing his thumbs from under his belt. - -“He must be part fly,” Sandy murmured admiringly. - -Suddenly, Pete braked the log with his spikes. Charley hung on nimbly, -though he did have to extend his arms for balance. Pete studied his -opponent briefly, then tried another approach. Facing the other man, he -spread his feet, spikes dug deep into the soft bark. Throwing his weight -to the right, he rolled the log to that side, then jerked it back -sharply in the opposite direction. Back and forth, back and forth, he -went, stirring up waves in the little pond. Charley just crouched low -and rolled with the log. - -Finally, Pete abandoned this method too, and began to jump up and down -on his end of the log until it was lurching up and down in the water -like a seesaw. Once Charley’s boot slipped as the log rolled -unexpectedly, but he recovered himself neatly. - -“I’ve never seen such a display of balance and coordination,” Russ said. - -“There’s a hundred tricks,” Jonas told him. “Every birler has his own -pet twists and turns and stops. Why I’ve seen my old man spend hours -studying a log before a big match.” - -“What for?” Sandy said. “They all look pretty much the same to me.” - -“Logs are as different as fingerprints. Pine logs are lighter than -spruce, for example, and roll much faster. Cedar logs ride higher in the -water. Thin bark is a different proposition than thick spongy bark—” He -broke off as the two birlers both sent the log spinning madly in the -water. “Here now, watch old Charley go to town.” - -Faster and faster the log spun; then with a display of skill that set -Jonas to clapping his hands, Charley braked the spin and sent the log -twirling in the opposite direction before poor Pete could shift his -feet. He flipped over backward into the pond with a loud splash. - -The boys joined in the round of applause for Charley, as Pete surfaced -and good-naturedly shoved the log in to shore, so the winner wouldn’t -get his feet wet. - -“I’m out of practice,” Pete puffed, as he waded in, dripping wet. - -“No excuses,” Jonas laughed. “Anyway, that saves you taking a bath -tonight.” - -He turned to Jerry. “Still think it’s easy, young fellow?” - -“Well-l-l,” Jerry drawled, “I think with a little practice I could do -it.” - -“No time like the present,” Jonas declared. “How about it, Sandy? You -game to take your pal on?” - -Sandy grinned. “Sure thing. I don’t care if I do fall in. It’s so darned -hot.” - -Jonas brought the log in closer to the bank and braced it with his pole. -“Okay, boys, climb aboard.” - -Sandy bowed with a flourish to the dark-haired boy. “After you, my dear -Alphonse.” - -Stepping out on the log as cautiously as a tightrope walker on the high -wire, Jerry planted his feet firmly, crouching very low. - -“Why don’t you sit down and straddle it,” Quiz heckled him. - -“No remarks from the gallery,” Jerry grunted. “I’m just getting the feel -of it.” - -Sandy took his place a trifle more confidently, and Jonas shoved the log -into the middle of the pond. Jerry tottered and flailed his arms wildly -in the air as the log started to roll beneath him. - -“Hey, cut that out! We didn’t get the signal to start yet,” he protested -to Sandy. - -“I’m not doing a thing.” Sandy was concentrating on keeping his feet -moving rhythmically with the motion of the log. In spite of his efforts -to slow it down, it kept picking up momentum, largely because of Jerry’s -frenzied footwork. - -On shore, Quiz, Russ Steele and the loggers were doubled up with -laughter. Jonas gasped, “He looks like a clown I saw at a circus running -on a treadmill with a dog hanging onto the seat of his pants.” - -The thought was too much for Sandy. Choking hysterically, he went -headfirst into the pond. But still Jerry’s mad marathon went on. “How do -you stop this thing?” he shouted. - -“Just turn off your ignition,” Charley joked. - -The tears were rolling down Pete’s face. “I ain’t seen a birler like -that boy in all my days. He’d be a sensation at the fall festival.” - -“No use,” Jerry screamed desperately. “I’m going to bail out before it’s -too late.” Holding his nose he ran off the end of the log into thin air. -His legs were still driving like pistons as the water closed over him. - -When the boys waded ashore, Jerry grinned sheepishly at the loggers. “I -was doing great till my accelerator got stuck.” - -Jonas patted him on the back. “You’re all right, Jerry. Best show I’ve -seen all year.” - -Walking up the hill, Jonas asked Russ, “How long will you be with us?” - -“Oh, I guess we’ll be heading back to Red Lake tomorrow morning.” - -“Better follow the river south as far as you can,” Jonas cautioned him. -“It wouldn’t do to get caught in the deep woods if a fire gets started.” - -By this time the sun had sunk below the trees, and the loggers were -boarding the trucks for the ride back to camp. Russ and Quiz rode back -with Jonas in the cab of the lead truck, while Sandy and Jerry piled in -the one behind it. - -“Do you fellows live in the woods all year?” Sandy asked the driver. - -“Most of us single men do,” the driver told him. “It saves board money -living in the company barracks and eating three squares in the mess -hall. A few of the married boys live in town. We got a couple of little -towns within a comfortable distance. Some weekends we go in and stay at -a rooming house.” - -“Don’t you ever get to the big city?” Jerry asked wonderingly. - -“Maybe once a year, we go to Duluth.” He began to laugh uproariously. -“It usually takes us another year to get over a spree like that.” - -Back at camp, Russ Steele spoke earnestly with Jonas Driscoll off to one -side. Then he went into the office alone and closed the door behind him. -The foreman walked over to where the boys were throwing sticks for the -two dogs to fetch and told Sandy that his uncle was making an important -phone call. - -“He’ll be a while,” he said. “Why don’t you boys come down to my shack -and wash up before supper?” - -Sandy looked meaningfully at Jerry and Quiz. “You guys go ahead with -Jonas. I’ll be along in a few minutes.” - -As soon as they were out of sight, Sandy went over and sat down on the -steps of the office. Prince and Bruce camped at his feet, wagging their -tails and pleading with their eyes for more play. Finally Sandy gave in -and lobbed a few more sticks for them. After about ten minutes, Russ -Steele came out of the office. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts -that he almost stumbled over his nephew. - -“Sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t see you.” - -Sandy nodded sympathetically. “Still no news?” - -“Not a trace. It begins to look more and more as if they ditched the -bomb over this area. Search teams are working in toward us methodically -from both Lake Superior and Manitoba where the plane crashed. We’ll just -have to do what we can until reinforcements arrive.” - -To the west heat lightning lit up the sky like a monster flash bulb. -Sandy shivered as they walked slowly in the direction of the foreman’s -cottage. The air seemed to be buzzing with electricity. - - - - - CHAPTER EIGHT - Fire! - - -After breakfast the next morning, Russ Steele and the boys said goodbye -to Jonas Driscoll and started back in the direction of Red Lake. Once -again they fanned out at 1500-foot intervals, as soon as they were out -of sight of the logging camp. - -“It seems like such a waste of time,” Jerry complained. “We’re never -going to find that bomb, just four guys in a big woods like this.” - -“Most likely we won’t,” Russ admitted. “Our team is only a small cog in -the vast search machinery, but the ultimate success of the operation -depends on how well each small team does its job. The military doesn’t -expect us to march straight to where the bomb is and say, ‘Here it is, -fellows!’ What they do expect is for us to be able to say with certainty -where the bomb is _not_ lying. Gradually, by a process of elimination, -they’ll be able to pinpoint its exact location.” - -The trek south was just as unrewarding as the trek north. They covered -twenty-five miles by dusk, when they made camp and cooked a simple -supper of beans and bacon. The boys were so weary that they sacked in -before it was completely dark. Russ Steele sat outside awhile smoking -his pipe and watching the moon climb into the cloudless heavens. - -In the early afternoon of the following day, they arrived back at the -ranger station. Dick Fellows signaled them with a flashing mirror from -the tower when they were still a half mile away. By the time they -arrived, he had a pitcher of iced tea frosting on the table. - -“No luck,” he said flatly, as soon as he saw their faces. - -Russ shook his head. “How about yourself? Still no rain in sight?” - -The ranger sighed. “Just got the forecast before you got here. Fair and -hot for the rest of the week. I’ve been on twenty-four-hour duty for the -past two days. Headquarters has declared a state of emergency.” - -“Why don’t you grab a couple of hours’ sleep?” Sandy suggested. “We’ll -keep a careful watch for you.” - -“Thanks,” Dick said, “maybe I will. I’ve been sleeping with one eye open -these nights, and one ear on the alarm clock. How long are you fellows -going to stay around?” - -“Until tomorrow morning,” Russ told him. - -“We’ll cover the ground between here and Red Lake next trip.” - -It was 2:30 P.M. Dick Fellows had been asleep for about an hour. Quiz -and Jerry had left to take a bath in a nearby stream. Russ Steele was -relaxing in the big easy chair with his pipe and a book from the -ranger’s library. Sandy was on watch. Standing at the north window, he -swept the horizon from east to west with a pair of binoculars. -Three-quarters of the way across, he stopped and trained them down on a -tall trunk that stood out bleak and spare against the thick foliage of -the other trees. With a frown, he dropped the glasses and blinked his -eyes, squinting through the distant haze. - -“Uncle Russ,” he said steadily, “it’s probably an illusion, but I think -I see smoke.” - -Russ Steele rose quickly, dumping the book off his lap onto the floor. -“Where?” he asked tensely, coming to the window. - -Sandy passed the binoculars to him. “That big snag due north-northwest.” -While his uncle was studying the location, Sandy went back to the table -and picked up a pair of sunglasses specially treated to penetrate haze. -“Well, what do you think?” he asked. - -“I’m not sure,” Russ said tightly. “It could be heat waves shimmering -through the ground haze.” He turned to look at the sleeping figure of -the ranger on the bunk. “In any case, I think it rates the attention of -an expert. Better wake Dick.” - -Dick Fellows sat up promptly the instant Sandy’s hand touched his -shoulder. “Trouble?” he asked grimly. He was at the window focusing the -binoculars before Sandy had finished explaining. After a brief look, he -put down the binoculars and studied the trouble spot through the haze -glasses. - -Then he announced matter-of-factly: “Smoke, all right. Well, we’ve got -ourselves a fire.” - -His voice sounded almost relieved. The waiting and the anxiety were over -now, at least. The enemy was out in the open—something tangible you -could see and fight. - -Immediately, the ranger made a compass reading. Then he took a fix on -the smoking tree with an Osborne fire finder, an instrument roughly -resembling a sextant. - -“The fire finder measures both horizontal and vertical angles,” he -explained to Sandy. “If we know the height of the fire tower and the -angle of the fire with respect to the top of the tower, it’s a -relatively easy matter to locate the site on a good topographical map.” - -“What’s a topographical map?” Sandy asked. - -“A map that charts the surface features of the terrain,” Dick said. He -went back to the table and made some rapid calculations on a pad, -stopping occasionally to measure off distances and angles on the big map -spread out before him. At last he stuck a red pin at an X that marked -the intersection of two lines. “That’s where she is,” he said with -finality. “Now I’ll radio the news in to headquarters. They’ll try and -get a sighting from another tower and double-check my fix on the fire.” - -“What do we do in the meantime?” Russ Steele asked anxiously. Sandy -could see that, underneath the heavy tan, his uncle was pale. He had a -flitting mental image of the missing A-bomb lying in some desolate part -of the forest with flames licking in all around it, and he felt the -short hairs at the base of his skull bristle. - -“I’ll go straight to the fire and see what I can do until a crew shows -up,” the ranger said. - -“You’ve got yourself a crew,” Russ volunteered. “What can we do to -help?” - -Dick Fellows smiled gratefully. “That’s wonderful. I’ve got plenty of -tools stored out in the shed. With any luck, maybe we can get it under -control before it spreads too far.” - -At that moment, they heard Prince barking at the foot of the tower and -footsteps vibrating on the metal steps. “That must be Quiz and Jerry,” -Sandy said. He ran to the door, opened it and called down. “Stay where -you are. We’ll be right down. We’re going to fight a fire.” - -Within fifteen minutes, the five of them were double-timing it through -the woods, loaded down with long-handled shovels, burlap sacks, fire -swatters and strange-looking implements that the boys had never seen -before. One resembled a giant fly swatter; another, the Pulaski tool, -was a combination ax and grub hoe. They had covered, perhaps, ten miles, -when Prince, who had gone running far ahead, began to yelp excitedly. -Before they even sighted the flames, they could hear the crackle and -roar of a formidable blaze. - -Dick Fellows ran his tongue nervously over dry lips. “Not much smoke. -She had a good start before we spotted her.” - -In spite of the ranger’s words, Sandy felt a wave of relief when they -finally reached the fire. It didn’t look nearly as bad as he had -expected it to be. At most, it ranged over a quarter of an acre, blazing -lazily in the surface litter that covered the forest floor. - -“Gee, it’s just a little brush fire.” Jerry echoed his friend’s -sentiments. - -“So far,” the ranger said grimly. “But all it will take is a little -breeze—” He left the thought unfinished, as without warning a dead tree -that stood in the center of the fire, blackened and smoldering, burst -into flame like a torch. The rotten wood gave off great flaming sparks -that were carried high into the air by the updraft. Sandy traced the -journey of one glowing ember as it plummeted down like a shooting star -into the woods about a half mile away. - -“That could mean more trouble,” the ranger said. “Before you know it, -you have a half dozen spot fires burning in addition to the one you’re -fighting. I’ll have a look over in that direction later on. The first -thing we’re going to do is to build a fire line across the head of the -fire; I’d say maybe fifteen feet in front of it.” - -Quiz nodded. “The head of the fire is determined by the direction in -which it’s spreading the fastest. Right?” - -“Right. All fires have a roughly circular shape to begin with. But -depending on air currents, slope of the terrain and available fuel, they -soon take on direction. Usually they assume an elliptical shape, sort of -like an egg, with the fat part of the egg representing the head. We -always attack the head first—stop the advance. Then we can work down the -flanks to the rear. - -“Our fire line will be about one hundred feet long. I’d say this -particular fire calls for a trench about two feet wide through the duff -and litter; we’ve got to get down to mineral soil. Everything -inflammable must be cleared off this path. Bushes or low-hanging -branches that the flames can reach have to be removed or avoided.” - -At this point, he stopped talking to lay out the fire line, tracing its -path through the forest with a hoe. It was a zigzag route which detoured -around bushes that were too large to be uprooted and low-hanging tree -branches. “We avoid anything that would give the flames a chance to leap -the fire line,” Dick explained. - -As soon as the boundaries were clearly defined, he distributed the tools -and assigned specific jobs to everyone. Russell Steele showed as much -respect for the young ranger as any enlisted man had ever accorded a -general. Sandy and Jerry worked with the hoes, breaking the first -ground. Their job consisted mainly in clearing a swath through the loose -litter, shoving it in toward the advancing flames. - -Dick Fellows and Russ Steele came in back of them with Pulaski tools, -hacking out stubborn roots and small shrubs and cutting deeper into the -duff. Quiz brought up the rear with a shovel, scooping up loose matter -that had tumbled back into the ditch and sluicing a light layer of soil -across the ground in front of the line. They worked intently, without -speaking, to conserve their wind; and the line grew rapidly. Still, the -fire was within two feet of the barrier when Quiz sent the last shovel -of dirt rattling into the waist-high flames. - -The heat was searing, and their lobster-red faces streamed with -perspiration. Their clothing was soaked and streaked with dirt. Jerry -and Quiz staggered back from the line and collapsed on the ground. - -The ranger waved Sandy and his uncle back too. “Better take a breather,” -he warned them. “The worst is yet to come.” He took a long drink, then -emptied the rest of his canteen over his head. - -After a five-minute break, Dick passed out the long-handled beaters to -the three boys. He handed Russ Steele a burlap bag soaked in water. -“We’ll do the best we can with these. The idea is to patrol the line and -keep a sharp watch for embers that fly over it.” - -They stationed themselves at 25-foot intervals, with Russ and Dick each -holding down an end of the line. The flames reached the edge of the -break and leaned hungrily across it. - -Sandy brought the flat of his rubber beater down on a spark that kindled -on his side of the line. “It gives me the creeps the way the fire seems -to be reaching out for you,” he yelled to Jerry. “It’s almost as if it -was alive.” - -Jerry was too busy swatting to answer him. Down at one end of the line, -Dick tossed aside his smoking burlap sack and grabbed a shovel. With -horror, Sandy saw a thin trail of fire race along the edge of the ditch, -skirt the end and blaze up in a patch of grass around the ranger’s legs. -Sandy dashed down to attack the breach with Dick, and together they -extinguished the flames and the long fuse of burning grass that had -kindled it. - -“Thanks,” Dick gasped, as Sandy raced back to beat at a fiery tongue -that was licking at the brush in his sector. - -For at least a half hour they battled the tenacious foe, and then the -flames began to subside, their frantic efforts to leap the line growing -more and more feeble. - -At last Dick Fellows announced hesitantly, “Looks like we have her, -men.” - -The boys let out a lusty cheer, and Jerry did a comical little waltz -with his long beater. But their exultation was short-lived. For some -time, no one had paid much attention to the dead tree in the center of -the burned-out area, now a solid pillar of fire reaching into the sky. -The ranger had been relieved to note that it stood a safe distance apart -from the other trees, and he decided that its chief hazard lay in the -sparks that kept rising intermittently from it. Then disaster struck. - -Crumbling from decay and the ravages of termites, and further weakened -by the flames, the towering snag unexpectedly gave way at the base. As -the fire fighters stared in hypnotic fascination, the tree toppled in -slow motion toward a thick cluster of pines on the left flank of the -fire. It went crashing down into their midst, sending a spray of sparks -and flame over the thick, dry foliage. Instantly the crowns of the trees -erupted simultaneously in a huge balloon of flame with a noise like an -exploding bomb. A blast of red-hot air singed Sandy’s hair and eyelashes -and sent him stumbling backward with his hands over his face. -Rejuvenated, the front of the fire leaped the barrier and blazed up -beyond control at a dozen separate points. - -“She’s crowned!” the ranger yelled in despair. “That snag did it. The -surface fire had heated the foliage to the point of combustion and it -was just like touching a match to a gas jet.” - -Sandy was aware of a strange rustling in the trees overhead. “What’s -that?” he asked the ranger. “It can’t be wind.” - -“It’s wind all right,” Dick told him. “Once these fires get really -going, they make their own wind.” - -“It’s simple,” Quiz explained. “You can even feel it standing near a big -bonfire. The updraft of hot air creates a partial vacuum over the fire -area, sucking in cool air from all around it.” - -“What do we do now?” Russ demanded. - -The ranger pointed to the crown fire, which was spreading from tree to -tree fairly rapidly. “Only thing to do is get out of here. We don’t want -to get caught if this thing really takes off. There’s a firebreak about -one mile back, where we can wait for reinforcements.” - -He glanced up at the sky, and for the first time Sandy was aware that a -helicopter and a small observation plane were circling the area. “They -should be rallying a gang up there within a few hours,” Dick said. - -“What’s a firebreak, Dick?” Quiz asked. - -“A king-sized fire line similar to the one we made. It can be anywhere -from ten feet to a hundred feet wide. Nowadays critical areas are -interlaced with firebreaks, just in case. The one we’re heading for is a -road really; the idea is to take advantage of natural defenses as much -as possible when planning firebreaks—roads, rivers, clearings, railroad -right of ways.” - -As they followed the ranger at a slow trot in the direction of the road, -Prince leaped out from behind a bush and fell in beside Russ. - -“I was beginning to wonder what had happened to him,” Sandy said. - -“Animals are deathly afraid of fire,” Russ said. “I’m surprised he isn’t -on his way back to Red Lake.” - -Jerry snorted. “Some hero! And I thought dogs were supposed to be -fearless.” - -Russ looked at Jerry solemnly. “Only fools are fearless. I can tell you -I’m plenty scared right now—for more reasons than one.” - - - - - CHAPTER NINE - Battling the Flames - - -By the time they reached the firebreak, men and trucks were streaming -down the dirt road from both directions; rangers and volunteers from the -logging camps and small towns in the area. - -“Do we sit back here like soldiers in trenches and wait for the fire to -come to us?” Sandy wanted to know. - -Dick Fellows shook his head. “It’s not likely. That’s too much timber to -give up without a fight. Most likely the fire boss will try and contain -the fire within some area much closer to the front. We’ll construct -another fire line—a lot bigger than the one we made, of course—and -backfire from that, probably.” - -“Backfire?” Jerry looked puzzled. - -“Yes, light more fires all along that line.” He had to smile at the -boy’s incredulous stare. “Fires that we know we can control. It’s the -only way to stop a running crown fire. A running fire picks up a lot of -momentum—you saw how those flames jumped our line. The idea is to light -the backfires right on the edge of your fire line so that they’ll burn -in the opposite direction, toward the main fire. Actually, the air -currents created by a big blaze tend to draw in the smaller backfires. -Under ideal conditions, the two fires meet head-on and die because all -the fuel has been exhausted.” - -“That’s a fascinating image,” Russ said. “Like two greedy monsters -destroying each other.” - -“Now I know where they got that old saying about fighting fire with -fire,” Sandy said. - -“That’s right,” the ranger acknowledged. “It’s an old trick that goes -back earlier than the Christian era. Tricky business, though, and you -have to have a gang that knows what it’s doing every second. If anything -goes wrong, the backfire may get out of control and leap the fire line -itself.” - -He looked up as a tall gray-haired man in riding breeches and high boots -got out of a truck on the far side of the road and hailed him. - -“Dick Fellows! How does it look?” the tall man came across and joined -them. - -“Hi, Paul! Not too good. We thought we had her for a time. Then -everything burst loose.” - -He introduced Paul Landers, the district ranger chief, to Russ Steele -and the boys, describing their unsuccessful effort to stop the fire -before it crowned. - -Landers shook his head grimly. “Nice try, anyway, Dick. And many thanks -to you, General Steele, and the boys, for lending a hand.” - -Russ smiled. “Anything else we can do? We’re still available.” - -The fire boss took off his ranger hat and mopped his brow with a -handkerchief. “Plenty to do, all right, General. Soon as they get my -headquarters tent set up over there, we’ll be having a meeting of crew -chiefs. I’d welcome it if you’d sit in. You ever had any experience -fighting fires? Before today, I mean?” - -“I’m a greenhorn,” Russ admitted. “Just like the boys.” - -“But we’re learning fast,” Jerry chimed in. - -Landers laughed. “Good. That tent’s up now. Come along and I’ll show you -how we map out our battle strategy.” He glanced at Russ. “You’re going -to find, General, that a forest fire can be as diabolical and -treacherous as any human enemy you ever fought.” - -“I’m beginning to suspect that already,” Russ said somberly. - -Inside the big pyramidal tent, technicians were installing short-wave -radio equipment, electric lights and telephones. On a large square table -in the center of the tent, a topographical map was spread out; alongside -it was a vivid aerial photograph of the same region. - -Landers indicated a section on the map shaded in red pencil. “This -represents the burned-out area, as it stands at this time. Roughly, the -front is about twelve hundred feet across, and she’s spreading fast.” - -Dick Fellows whistled. “I’ll say she’s spreading fast. I don’t figure it -was more than a hundred feet when we pulled out.” - -The fire boss bent over the map and rested both elbows on the table. -“She’s got all the makings of a Class E fire all right.” - -“What’s a Class E fire?” Sandy asked. - -“Forest fires are rated in five classes, A,B,C,D, and E, according to -the size of the burned-out area,” Landers explained. “Class E is three -hundred acres and up. This one could be a first-rate Class E if it gets -away from us. So we can’t afford to take chances.” - -He studied the map thoughtfully. “The way I see it we’ve got to give her -plenty of room. If we can hold her down to two hundred acres, I’ll be -plenty satisfied.” He ran his finger along a ridge that ran off -diagonally to the road in a northeast direction on the right flank of -the fire. Then he penciled an _X_ at the foot of the ridge directly in -line with the head of the fire. - -“Our best chance is to start backfiring here, about a half mile due -east. That ridge is a natural firebreak because it’s mostly rock with -only scrubby vegetation. It won’t take more than a skeleton crew to work -that side.” - -He addressed two of the gang bosses: “Harry and Ed, you boys take ten -men and a bulldozer and start setting things up on that ridge. A -three-thousand-foot line should do it.” - -Now from the foot of the ridge, he drew a line extending in a southeast -direction, so that between them they formed an angled pocket into which -the fire was advancing. “We’ll backfire for another three thousand feet -on this line. The rest of you gang bosses will round up your men and get -to work on that immediately.” - -He singled out Dick Fellows. “Dick, you and your three young friends can -help out on the south line, if you will, as fire scouts. General Steele, -I’d appreciate it if you would help me get things organized here.” - -The boys followed Ranger Fellows out of the tent as the gang bosses -crowded around the table for a question-and-answer session with the fire -boss and to get a final briefing. Sandy was surprised to see that dusk -was settling over the forest. He looked at his wrist watch and saw that -almost five hours had passed since he had spotted the first thin swirl -of smoke from the fire tower. To the west an enormous golden cloud hung -over the trees like a halo. - -“Doesn’t that look beautiful?” Jerry said. - -“Deadly beauty,” the ranger told him, explaining that it was the last -rays of sunlight slanting up from below the horizon on the screen of -smoke drifting up from the forest fire. - -He led them over to the mess tent, where cooks were doling out -steaming-hot suppers to the fire fighters from big insulated containers. -“Eat hearty, men,” he said wryly as they took their places on line. “We -have a long night ahead of us.” - -“How can anyone work in these woods at night?” Sandy said. “It gets so -dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face.” - -“It’s not easy,” the ranger admitted. “Normally, Landers would wait -until daylight to tackle most fires. The rate of spread drops sharply -through the night, then picks up again when the sun rises. Dawn and -early morning are generally the best hours to work. But conditions being -what they are—this drought and all—the chief wants us to keep on top of -it every minute. It won’t be any picnic, though, building that south -fire line at night, even if they mount auxiliary spotlights on the -trucks and tractors.” - -“What gives with this fire scout business?” Jerry wanted to know. “What -do we do?” - -“Run messages up and down the line so that headquarters can keep in -touch with the progress on all sectors at all times,” Dick explained. -“I’ll be stationed at the junction of the north and south lines with a -walkie-talkie radio. You fellows will relay reports from the gang bosses -in to me, and I’ll call them in to the chief.” He grinned. “You’re going -to be mighty leg-weary before this is over.” - -At the head of the serving table, a grizzled old man wearing a greasy -undershirt handed them each a tin plate and a knife and spoon. In quick -succession, Sandy received a ladle of hash, a ladle of cole slaw and a -slab of bread—at least two inches thick—slapped on top of it all. The -last man on the serving line dipped a tin mug expertly into a galvanized -can filled with iced tea and sent him on his way. Sandy had intended to -ask for something to eat for Prince, but then he saw that the big -Doberman was squatting patiently before the entrance of the headquarters -tent, waiting for Russ Steele. - -When they had finished eating, they scraped their platters clean and -dropped them in a tub of soapy, boiling water to one side of the mess -tent. - -It was almost dark now, but the area was bright in the glare of -spotlights that had been rigged up to the heavy power line strung from -poles at the side of the road. Dick Fellows stopped briefly at -headquarters to pick up his walkie-talkie radio, and then they hitched a -ride on a jeep truck. They were part of a long caravan of vehicles -moving slowly through the woods toward the foot of the ridge where the -fire line would be anchored. The boys could scarcely believe that a road -had been cut through the timber in such a short period of time. True, it -was rutted, and bristled with stumps, and twisted considerably to avoid -the biggest trees, but it was quite an accomplishment nevertheless. - -“It’s magic,” Jerry exclaimed. “How did they do it?” - -“Bulldozer magic,” the ranger said, pointing to the broken and uprooted -trees littering the sides of the road. “We even have some brush-breaker -trucks that can plow through a grove of trees up to six inches in -diameter as if they were matchsticks.” - -The caravan ground to a halt before they reached the foot of the ridge, -so the dozers and tractors could complete a huge clearing where the -vehicles and equipment could assemble. To Sandy, it was a scene of -immense confusion and noise. It seemed to him that the gang bosses were -trying to outshout each other; the men were getting in each other’s way; -and the trucks and tractors were rumbling about aimlessly. - -“What a mess!” Jerry groaned. - -The ranger grinned. “It just looks that way. This is as smooth an -operation as I’ve ever seen. Wait till they get rolling.” - -And in no time at all men and machines were peeling off in orderly -fashion to the right and left; up the ridge to the northeast; and -southwest through the forest, clearing a strip through the trees the -width of two bulldozers. - -Behind the dozers came the plows, rooting up the thick bed of duff on -the forest floor; then the graders, piling up soil and sand in a high -bank against the advancing flames. Working by the light of big spots -mounted on trucks, agile volunteers—mainly high riggers from the lumber -camps—climbed the trees along the edge of the growing line, lopping off -low branches that hung across into the danger area. - -“Just to make sure our backfires don’t backfire on us,” Dick Fellows -said wryly. - -The young ranger set up his command post in the headlights of a jeep; it -consisted of a folding table, canvas chair and the walkie-talkie. Quiz -was intrigued by the little battery-operated receiver-transmitter. Dick -pulled the rod antennae out of the top of the little oblong case until -they were fully extended, and flipped the switch. There was a crackle of -static and a variety of other interference before he succeeded in -getting through to Fire Boss Landers at headquarters. Reception was poor -and he kept his head bent close to the instrument. The boys were only -able to catch snatches of the conversation. Finally he signed off and -looked up. - -“The chief just received a report from air observation. She’s -progressing pretty much according to type. About three-quarters of a -mile wide at the head, and covering roughly one hundred acres. There’s -just enough wind to benefit us—keep the fire moving due east and -restricting the spread at the rear. Unless the picture alters radically -before morning, we’ve got her licked.” - -“That’s great!” Sandy said. - -Quiz glanced over the treetops at the faint reddish glow in the sky to -the west. “It’s not nearly so bright over that way now.” - -“You’re right,” the ranger agreed. “That’s because the crown fire has -died out. It’s strictly a surface fire now. Of course if we get another -scorcher tomorrow, she’ll likely flare up again.” - -Jerry was peering anxiously through the thick forest in front of them. -“You can just about see the flames now flickering over there.” - -“It’s possible,” Dick admitted. “She’s only about a quarter of a mile -off now.” Ruefully, he surveyed the tall, stately pines in the grove -opposite them. “It breaks my heart to think we’re going to have to -sacrifice all that timber.” - -“When do we go to work?” Sandy asked him. - -“Right now. The chief wants to know how things are progressing all the -way down the line and he wants a thorough report on the contour of the -fire front. Sandy, suppose you work the ridge, and Jerry and Quiz can -take the south line. Find the gang bosses and ask them how things are -shaping up in their sectors.” - -Sandy climbed a steep rocky incline at the right of the clearing to the -top of the ridge. From the crest, which was nearly forty feet higher -than any of the surrounding terrain, he had an unrestricted view along -the full length of the ridge. A full moon sitting on the very rim of the -horizon lit up the scene like a big orange bulb. It was obvious now why -Fire Boss Landers had chosen this site to construct the fire line. It -was a natural barrier running straight as an arrow to the northwest, at -least a mile long from tip to tip. Its rocky slopes, barren except for -grass and stunted shrubs, swept down about a hundred feet on each side -to the edge of the woods. The ridge was a great scar in the rich -Minnesota earth left by some passing glacier millions of years ago. - -Halfway along the ridge, Sandy could see the dozers rumbling back and -forth over the crest, their headlights gleaming like the eyes of -prehistoric monsters. He started toward them at a dogtrot. - -When he reached the nearest gang, a big man who seemed to be directing -the operation swung his flashlight full on Sandy’s face. “Hi, son, -what’s up?” - -Sandy explained that he was scouting for Ranger Fellows. - -“I’m Ed Macauley,” the gang boss introduced himself. “Everything looks -pretty good from here. We’re clearing a strip about ten feet wide just -below the crest on the far side here. We’ll start our backfires down -there in that tall grass at the edge of the woods. Then for good measure -we’ll light another one along the top of the ridge.” - -Sandy was puzzled. “One thing I don’t understand. Why are you making the -fire line on the slope away from the fire?” - -Macauley grinned. “Because fire burns a lot faster and picks up more -momentum going uphill than it does going downhill.” To illustrate, he -took a long wooden match out of his pocket and lit it with his -thumbnail. When he tilted the lit end down, the flame blazed up -brightly, licking greedily at the unburned stem. Then he tilted the end -up and the flame changed direction and flickered feebly at the blackened -stub and finally died out. “See, there’s less chance of the fire jumping -our line if it’s burning downhill.” - -Suddenly he frowned and poked his nose into the air like a scenting -hound. “Hey, you feel that?” He wet his forefinger in his mouth and held -it up. - -At that moment Sandy was aware of a cool, gentle breeze on the left side -of his face. When Macauley spoke, his voice was tight as a bowstring. - -“Wind’s picking up, and it seems to be swinging around to the southwest. -That could mean the fire will veer smack into this here ridge.... Hey, -you better relay that news back to the fire boss fast. Maybe they’re -just wasting their time on that south line.” - -“Won’t they realize the wind’s shifting?” Sandy asked. - -“Maybe not. On account of the elevation here, we’d feel it first.” - -Macauley handed the boy his flashlight. “Here, better take this so you -don’t stumble in the dark. And make it snappy.” - -Jerry had already returned with a report from the south line when Sandy -stumbled into the bright lights of the clearing. Jerry was sprawled out -on the grass at the command post while the ranger phoned his information -into headquarters. Sandy interrupted Dick Fellows excitedly to announce -the unexpected wind shift. And Dick was even more excited as he told -Paul Landers about it. - -Jerry shook his head skeptically as Sandy plopped down beside him on the -grass. “I don’t think that fire is going to change direction. You should -see it down near the middle of the south line. It’s so close now that -they can see to work by it.” - -Sandy shrugged. “Won’t be able to tell for sure for a while. But that -wind is definitely swinging around and picking up velocity—by the way, -where’s Quiz?” - -Jerry jerked his thumb back across his shoulder. “He’s back down the -line jawing away with some of the gang bosses. By the time this is over, -he’ll be an expert fire fighter.” - -Sandy laughed. “Shakespeare to smoke-eating—that’s our boy. The expert’s -expert.” - -Dick put the walkie-talkie down and turned to the boys. “Our aerial -observer reports a definite wind shift to the southwest. It’s still too -early to notice any effect on the head of the fire, but it’s an -important development.” He gazed skyward. “Just keep your fingers -crossed that it doesn’t really blow up. She’d probably crown again and -that could mean spot fires almost anywhere.” - -“What are spot fires? You mentioned them before, but you never did -explain what they are.” - -“In a stiff wind, great masses of flaming embers and foliage may be -carried through the air for miles and start other fires far ahead of the -original one. That’s where the real danger exists for fire fighters. -Lots of times in a bad crown fire, men have suddenly found themselves -completely surrounded by flames.” - -Sandy shuddered. “That’s horrible.” - -“Anyway, it’s nothing for us to worry about. We haven’t had a big blow -up this way in almost two months.” - -“Say, Dick,” Jerry asked curiously. “Do they know for sure what started -this fire?” - -“Not with absolute certainty,” the ranger told him, “but it’s a pretty -good bet that it was that lightning storm we had a few days back. -Lightning is by far the leading cause of forest fires in the United -States.” - -Sandy yawned and glanced at his watch. “Gee, it’s almost midnight,” he -said. - -“Why don’t you guys catch forty winks in the back of that big van over -there,” Dick suggested. “I’ll wake you up if there are any new -developments.” - -At that instant, the walkie-talkie came to life. Dick conversed briefly -with headquarters, then smiled apologetically at the boys. “Sorry, -fellows, but that nap will have to wait. Landers has decided to hold up -setting the backfires on the south line until we know for sure what’s -going to happen with that wind. Jerry, you take the word on down: Stand -by with the flame throwers, but don’t start backfiring until we get -confirmation from headquarters. No sense burning down any more timber -than we have to. - -“Sandy, you go down the ridge and tell Macauley and Roberts that they -can start backfiring any time they’re ready.” - -“Right!” the boys said in unison, and started off in opposite -directions. - - -It was an eerie sight watching the men fire the grass with their flame -throwers. Rapidly they moved along the top of the ridge with the -cylindrical tanks strapped to their backs, the long metal nozzles -spewing out jets of blazing gasoline that consumed everything they -touched. Soon the entire crest was aflame. To the west, a towering -column of smoke spiraled high into the moonlit sky, the glints of the -inferno below shimmering on its underside. It reminded Sandy of the -familiar mushroom cloud of an atomic blast, and with a sick feeling he -remembered the missing bomb lying somewhere in these woods. - - - - - CHAPTER TEN - A Temporary Victory - - -Shortly after 3:00 A.M. Quiz Taylor aroused Sandy and Jerry, who were -asleep in the supply truck. - -“Come on, they need us!” he told them excitedly. “The fire has really -busted loose again.” - -Sandy sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes. “Whazza matter? Wha’ happened?” - -“There’s a real southwester blowing up. The fire has crowned again—you -should see it! She may leap the ridge!” - -“Leap the ridge!” Sandy sat up ramrod-straight, jolted into full -wakefulness. “Good night! Let’s go!” He and Jerry slipped on their boots -and laced them frantically. - -The sight that greeted them as they leaped out of the truck was -frightening. To the east, as far as the eye could see, the canopy of the -forest was one massive sheet of writhing, twisting fire. Long, forked -tongues of flame leaped high into the sky, whipped about by the strong -breeze blowing from the southwest. The head of the fire had veered off -sharply and was attacking the ridge on a quarter-mile front which was -widening every second. - -The boys hurried over to Dick Fellows, who was talking into the -walkie-talkie and scribbling frantically on a pad. As soon as the -conversation ended, he tore off the sheet he had been writing on and -handed it to Sandy. - -“Make sure every gang boss on the ridge sees this,” he said tersely. “If -she crosses the ridge, they’re to pull out their crews at once and -retreat to the road. If this wind keeps up, we might not even be able to -hold her there.” - -For the first time, Sandy was aware of the loose debris blowing across -the clearing. As he took the paper from the ranger, it almost blew out -of his hand. In the unburned portion of the forest, the treetops were -rustling nervously. It sounded like a lament, Sandy thought. - -Dick looked at Jerry. “We’ve pulled most of the men out of the south -line already. Landers feels that we should abandon it altogether for the -present. Suppose you run down there and notify them, Jerry. Tell ’em to -report behind the ridge on the double. They need every man they can get. -Quiz, you stay here in case anything else important comes in.” - -Sandy started up the crest of the ridge, but the ranger called to him, -“Better circle around in back. It’s pretty hot up there.” He looked at -the surface fire advancing slowly through the underbrush toward the -clearing on the flank of the big blaze. “It won’t be long before we’ll -have to get out of here. Better send back a couple of boys to move those -trucks off the line.” - -“Right,” Sandy said, and circled around behind the ridge. - -The protected slope was teeming with men and machinery. Bulldozers -scurried up and down like huge beetles, clearing off everything -inflammable. Tank-trucks were moving slowly along the foot of the slope, -their crews sweeping big firehoses across the face of the forest. Trees -were doused from crown to root. Other smoke-eaters with hoses were lined -up on the crest of the ridge like soldiers, dwarfed by the monstrous -flames that seemed to arch over them threateningly. Whenever a flaming -bough or a mass of burning foliage came toppling to the ground nearby, -they would train a jet of fine, foglike spray on it. Watching this -panorama, Sandy was once again impressed by the fact that the fire -behaved at times with what seemed like animal intelligence. Time and -time again, treacherous fingers of flame would stretch out to the men, -driving them back behind the safety of the ridge. One such streamer -actually did dart across the crest like a snake, badly burning a dozer -operator. - -Sandy relayed the communiqué from Fire Boss Landers to all the gang -chiefs. He found Ed Macauley about a half mile down the ridge. His crew -had started to build a hasty fire line at right angles to the ridge in -an attempt to stop the fire racing down the edge of the forest, but they -had finally abandoned it. - -“Nothing short of a miracle will stop her now,” he told Sandy -hopelessly. - -“Isn’t there anything we can do?” the boy asked, his voice tinged with -panic. - -Macauley shrugged. “Not till she runs into the big firebreaks. There’s -another road about two miles north of the ridge; runs east to west. With -enough men we can bottle her up between the two roads. But she’ll burn -off better than a thousand acres before she’s finished.” - -The fire was now abreast of where they stood on the crest. A scorching -wave of heat swept up the slope, bringing tears to their eyes, and -forcing them to retreat behind the ridge. No longer did the men need -lights to work by, for the glare of the flames lit up the countryside -with an unearthly reddish glow. - -Sandy was surprised to see Quiz come staggering breathlessly up to them. -He handed Macauley a message. “New plan from headquarters,” he gasped. - -Macauley frowned as he read it, then crumpled the paper up into a ball. -“Darn waste of time, I call it.” - -“What’s up?” Sandy asked. - -“Landers wants to give it one more try. We’re going to build a line down -at the end of the ridge.” He walked a little way up the slope and -studied the head of the fire driving steadily forward before the wind. - -“We’ve only got a little more than a half-mile leeway. We’re gonna have -to work fast. Need every man and machine we can spare. C’mon, boys, -you’re graduating to pick-and-shovel work as of now.” - -The north end of the ridge terminated in a steep slide of gravel and -slag. The proposed fire line was to extend due west from this rockpile -for at least half a mile. As Macauley pointed out, everything was -against the fire fighters. The terrain was unsuited to efficient -operation of the dozers and graders; the timber was old and sturdy; and -in places the trees were jammed together so tightly and their foliage so -interlaced that trunks on opposite sides of the line appeared to have -common crowns. - -“With this wind,” the gang boss predicted, “our backfires won’t -accomplish a thing. Most likely, they’ll jump the line themselves.” He -sighed. “But orders is orders.” - -Because of the time element, the heavy machinery just punched -helter-skelter through the woods, and left the cleaning-up to the -pick-and-shovel crews. Behind them came the water wagons, wetting down -the brush and trees on the safe side of the line. - -Quiz Taylor and Sandy Steele were assigned to a crew of ax men. Jerry -James, who had come along about a half hour later, landed a soft job -manning a hose. But when the overly plump Quiz collapsed at the side of -the trail, Jerry generously offered to swap jobs with him. - -“Not permanently, you understand, old boy,” he warned Quiz. “Just until -you get your wind back.” - -Within a half hour, Sandy’s hands were covered with blisters and his -clothes were plastered to his body. Sweat poured down his face, blinding -him and caking into mud as it mixed with the dust. His legs felt as if -they were made of cast-iron, and he could barely lift one foot after the -other. - -Enviously, he watched Quiz riding on the back of the water truck. The -sight of the fine jet spray gave him a sudden inspiration. - -“Hey, Quiz!” he shouted. “Turn that thing on us for a while.” - -“Good idea, son,” one of the smoke-eaters said, and the rest of them -picked up the chant. “Let ’er rip, boy.” - -Quiz obligingly swerved the nozzle in their direction and they were -engulfed in cooling mist. Sandy opened his mouth wide and let the water -soothe his swollen tongue and parched throat. After five minutes of -this, they went back to work with renewed energy. - -The line was completed in record time, but none too soon. The fire front -was only about 200 yards away when Macauley gave the order to backfire. -Although the front was less than 1200 feet wide, the flame-thrower crews -ignited the fringe along the line for a full half mile. The boys, -resting with the pick-and-shovel men on the north tip of the ridge, -watched anxiously as the backfires flared up strong in the dry brush and -foliage. Innumerable times, the flames leaped the line to attack the -trees on the far side, but each time the dripping wet boughs repulsed -them. - -“Looks as if we’ll stop her,” Sandy said with elation. - -One of the fire fighters shook his head gloomily. “The backfire ain’t -getting anywhere though.” - -It was true. The backfires were making only slight progress toward the -head of the fire, which was racing forward with incredible speed. - -“You know what?” Quiz said hesitantly. “I think the wind is beginning to -die down.” - -“Aw, it’s your imagination,” Jerry said wearily. - -“No, he’s right,” another man exclaimed. “She’s slowing down.” - -Sandy studied the flames closely. He didn’t notice any perceptible -difference in the rate of the fire, but he did notice that the smoke -appeared to be rising in a more nearly vertical direction. Then, almost -miraculously it seemed, the breeze died abruptly. - -“My gosh!” Jerry said wonderingly. “It’s as if somebody turned off a -fan.” - -Quiz called their attention to the broad band of silver on the eastern -horizon. “Look, it’s almost daylight. That’s the answer. It mostly -always calms down at dawn and dusk.” - -The fire fighters let out a thunderous cheer that was picked up all -along the fire line. Macauley came striding up the slope, a big grin on -his face. - -“Looks like the chief outguessed me,” he admitted gleefully. “She’s -gonna hold.” - -With the ebbing of the breeze, the backfire and the fire head were -creeping toward each other with uniform speed. - -“What do we do now, boss?” Jerry asked. “All go home?” - -Macauley arched his eyebrows. “You kidding, son? There’s still plenty of -life in that old devil yet. She could switch off in another direction -any time. Once we got this front nailed down solid, we’ll attack her -from the sides and back. There’s still plenty of digging to be done for -those who can swing a shovel.” - -“That definitely lets me out,” Quiz groaned. “I don’t think I could even -pick up a shovel, I’m so beat.” - -Macauley stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I gotta admit you boys -have done more than a man’s share of work for one night.” - -“No,” Sandy protested, even though his knees were threatening to buckle. -“I’ll stick it out with you fellows.” - -“Me too,” Jerry said valiantly. - -Macauley smiled. “You boys are all right. But you need to rest. We all -do, for that matter. Suppose you make tracks back to headquarters and -tell the chief to get another crew in here to relieve us.” - -“Well, if you’re sure,” Sandy said, with undisguised relief. “I guess we -should report back to Dick Fellows, anyway.” - -“He was down here himself just a while back,” one of the men -volunteered. “Looking for you boys, I think.” - -“Come on, let’s go find him,” Sandy said. - -By the time they got back to the command post at the other end of the -ridge, it was broad daylight. Dick Fellows was directing a crew fighting -a small brushfire at the edge of the clearing. Beyond them the woods was -a charred, smoldering carpet. The tree trunks were blackened and burned -for about ten feet up their trunks; but the fire had not crowned. - -“Heard you were looking for us,” Sandy announced. “We were fighting a -fire.” - -The ranger grinned. “So I heard. How do things look up there? Does -Macauley think she’ll hold?” - -“He’s got his fingers crossed. He wants to know when his men are going -to get some relief.” - -Dick wiped his soot-streaked face with his sleeve. “Just as soon as we -can. Landers put a call out for more volunteers when she took off like -that last night. He had a crew all lined up, but then a report came in -that there was a spot fire up north about three miles, so he sent the -whole bunch of them to swarm over that one before it really gets -started. It’s been a rough night.” He looked around at the men beating -out the brushfires around the clearing. “I tell you what, though. I have -about a dozen smoke-eaters mopping up here and along the south line. -Soon as things look safe, I’ll send them down to replace a dozen of the -boys down there.” - -“Those men need relief bad,” Quiz declared. “They’re so bushed that they -won’t be able to work efficiently for much longer.” - -“I know,” Dick agreed. “You boys look pretty bushed yourselves. Why -don’t you take one of the jeeps and drive back to headquarters? After a -good meal and a few hours’ sleep, you’ll feel a lot better.” Ominously, -he added, “We may need you again.” - -“Why is everyone so skeptical?” Sandy demanded. “Don’t you believe that -line will hold now?” - -The ranger’s face was grim. “There’s nothing on this earth as -unpredictable as a forest fire. I won’t believe she’s really out until I -personally squash the last ember under my boot.” - -Quiz stared off into the ravaged grove at the other side of the -clearing. “Those trees, will they die?” he asked the ranger. - -“A tree is like a human being,” Dick explained. “It can survive some -pretty bad burns, although it may be scarred badly. Underneath the bark -there’s a thin layer of living matter called the cambium, which can be -compared with the underskin on a human being—the dermis. If the fire -burns through the outer bark all around the trunk and kills the cambium, -the tree dies. Fortunately, the bark usually burns through only on the -side of the tree facing the advancing flames. It depends on the age of -the tree and the thickness of the bark. I think most of those old -fellows along the fringe of the fire will pull through. Not much chance -for any others.” He sighed. “Well, I guess Sandy and Jerry aren’t -interested in hearing a botany lecture right now.” - -Quiz smiled wanly. “Even _I’m_ not interested in botany right now. Let’s -go eat, fellows.” - - - - - CHAPTER ELEVEN - Last-Ditch Stand - - -When they reached the main road, Sandy pulled the jeep up in front of -fire headquarters. Prince came bounding out to meet them, leaping up on -Sandy and barking happily. Then Russ Steele appeared in the entrance. -His face was lined with weariness and worry. - -“Well, hello there,” he said. “Back from the wars?” - -“We’ve just about had it,” Jerry said. “So have the other fellows on the -line.” - -Russ threw one arm across his nephew’s shoulder. “I understand you boys -are real hot-shot smoke-eaters.” - -Sandy grinned. “We don’t feel like hot shots at the moment.” - -“Tired, eh?” - -“And hungry!” Jerry and Quiz added simultaneously. - -Russ laughed. “I don’t doubt it. I was just on my way to chow. Come -along.” - -They walked slowly in the direction of the mess tent, with Prince -trotting at their heels. “What kind of a night did you have, Uncle -Russ?” Sandy inquired. - -“Spent most of it on the phone and radio. I’m hoarse. Not as rough as -you had it, however.” - -“How’s Mr. Landers?” Quiz asked. - -“Great! He thrives on this kind of excitement. What a dynamo that man -is. He can talk on six different phones at once, and play checkers at -the same time. And what he doesn’t know about forest fires wouldn’t fill -up the eye of a needle.” - -“He sure fooled Macauley,” Sandy said. “He was certain that last line at -the end of the ridge wouldn’t stop the fire.” - -Russ frowned. “Well, the chief wasn’t sure it would, either. He just had -a hunch that that wind would blow itself out come daylight. He’s still -not convinced that they’ve stopped her for good.” - -“Gee,” Sandy said moodily. “Even the fire boss. This must be a -nerve-racking way to earn a living.” - -“They don’t get any money for fighting fires. Not these boys anyway. -There are exceptions, of course. Gigantic fires where they can’t raise -enough men by the volunteer system. Then they have to hire them.” - -At the mess table, their tin plates were heaped with scrambled eggs, -bacon and buttered toast. It was obvious from their dirty, disheveled -appearance that they had just come off the fire line, and the cooks -besieged them with questions. The boys talked freely—and not without -pride, Sandy had to admit to himself. It was a good feeling being -treated as equals by these hard-bitten old smoke-eaters. - -When they were seated cross-legged under a shady tree, wolfing the food -and washing it down with gulps of hot coffee, Sandy changed the subject. - -“Any news on that bomb?” he asked his uncle in a low voice. - -Russ shook his head somberly and swallowed a mouthful of egg. “Nothing. -I was in touch with the Pentagon last night, and again this morning. As -you can imagine, they’re pretty concerned about this fire. They offered -to send in troops to help out if it becomes necessary.” - -“Do they think there’s any danger?” Quiz asked. “Of the bomb exploding, -I mean.” - -Russ put down his plate and massaged the thick stubble on his chin. Then -he took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one. It startled -Sandy, for he knew that his uncle never smoked cigarettes, except when -he was under extreme tension. - -“They don’t _think_ so,” he replied, emphasizing the verb. “But there -are so many things we still don’t know about atomic energy. And of -course, there’s always the chance the casing was damaged in some -unpredictable way so that—oh, it’s only a billion-in-one chance.” - -Jerry suddenly lost his appetite. “That’s just what they said in the -papers that time a comet landed right in some lady’s bed.” - -“Not a comet, you dope,” Quiz said disgustedly. “It must have been a -meteorite.” - -Jerry glowered at him. “So what? It happened.” - -Russ offered Prince the rest of the food in his plate and the dog -gobbled it up eagerly. “Well, speculation won’t get us anywhere. The -important thing is to get that fire under control first.” - -Quiz stretched out flat on his back in the dry, soft grass. “The most -important thing to me is sleep. I wouldn’t care if an A-bomb went off -right under my nose.” - -Jerry snorted. “I kept expecting that to happen all night.” - -Russ smiled. “I tell you what. There’s a small brook down the hill a -ways. Why don’t you go down there and wash up? Then stretch out on the -pine needles and take a snooze.” - -“Good idea,” Sandy agreed. He looked at his watch. “It’s eight o’clock -now. Wake us up at two—that will give us six hours’ sleep. Unless you -need us for anything, of course.” - -“I’m sure the worst is over,” his uncle assured him. “I think I’ll grab -some rest myself after I discuss a few things with the chief.” He pushed -himself to his feet and waved to them. “See you later.” - -Prince trotted off faithfully behind him. - - -The boys came upon the stream in a shallow gully about a hundred yards -behind the camp. Like all of the streams they had seen in the -drought-racked forest, it had shrunk to a mere inch of water gurgling -over a pebbly bed. But by scooping out a basin where the flow was -heaviest, they were able to take a sponge bath. Clean and refreshed, -they stretched out under the small pines along the bank and fell asleep -at once. - -“Wake up!” The urgent cry penetrated Sandy’s consciousness as a rough -hand shook him out of a deep slumber. He opened his eyes and stared up -into the harried face of his uncle. - -“The fire,” Russ Steele said tersely. “It’s broken out again. You’ll -probably be needed. Come up to headquarters right away.” With that, he -turned abruptly and trotted up the slope. - -His mind still foggy from sleep, Sandy woke Jerry and Quiz. And for -several minutes the three boys stared blankly at each other. - -“How did it happen?” Jerry mumbled. - -Sandy was vaguely aware of the wind whistling through the pines. “Sounds -like it’s blowing up again—I guess that’s it. Well, let’s get going.” - -“What time is it?” Quiz asked. - -Sandy looked at his watch. “A little after one o’clock.” - -Dragging their feet like zombies, they walked up the hill to the big -tent. Paul Landers and Russ Steele were bent over the map with three -other men whom Sandy had not seen before. - -Russ Steele looked up as the boys entered the tent. He indicated the -three strangers. “Fellows, I’d like you to meet Paul Ames, Bill Lukas -and Tom Fenning. They’ve come down from Canada to help us fight this -fire. And brought their own crews with them.” - -“Just in time, too,” Landers said gratefully. “If only I had been able -to send in a fresh crew this morning, we might have been able to avert -this new flare-up. Those poor devils had been working for seventeen -hours without letup; they just didn’t have anything left.” - -Sandy leaned over the map. “How did it happen?” - -Russ ran his finger along a red line running out from the north end of -the ridge. “It jumped the emergency line you boys helped to build last -night. Shortly after noon that southwest wind picked up again and there -wasn’t any stopping her this time. It happened so fast, a half dozen of -the men were severely burned.” - -Sandy could see that the fire was already advancing on a narrow front -past the end of the ridge. - -“The fact is, it’s really a brand-new fire,” one of the Canadians said. - -“Exactly,” Fire Boss Landers agreed. He drew a circle around the -burned-out area southwest of the ridge. “We’ve got it licked in this -sector.” - -The Canadian studied the map with intense concentration. “As I -understand it, this region north of the ridge is rocky and not too -heavily forested.” He touched his index finger to a small oval -representing a hill. “Any vegetation growing on this hill?” - -Landers shook his head. “Scrub and grass. The same as on the ridge.” - -“Then I don’t see any reason why we can’t stop her there.” He took a -pencil and drew a short line connecting the hill with the end of the -ridge. “We’ll build one line here. And another on the opposite side.” He -traced a second line running east of the hill. - -“You can try,” Landers said without much enthusiasm. “And if it fails, -we’ll just have to fall back and let her burn herself out between the -two big firebreaks.” He indicated the intersecting roads. - -The Canadian looked up at his two partners. “Let’s not waste any more -time.” - -Russ put a hand on Sandy’s shoulder. “I thought you boys could ride down -there with them and help out however you can.” - -“Sure thing,” Sandy said, and the other two boys nodded in agreement. - -Bill Lukas, the tall, blond Canadian who seemed to be in charge, flashed -his white teeth in a broad smile. “Glad to have you aboard, gentlemen. -We’re on our way.” - -The Canadians climbed into the front seat of a small, squat truck parked -outside the tent, while the boys boosted themselves up on the rear end -and let their legs dangle over the tail gate. As they started off, Sandy -saw his uncle standing in the entrance with Prince; Russ bent over, -spoke to the dog and gave him a pat on the back. Like a shot, Prince -took off after them. He caught up with the slow-moving vehicle easily, -and with a graceful leap landed between Sandy and Quiz. - -“He’ll see that you stay out of trouble!” Russ yelled to them. - -Tom Fenning turned around in the front seat and grinned. “Hello, what’s -this? More reinforcements? He doesn’t look much like a firedog to me.” - -“He’s a Doberman pinscher,” Sandy said. - -Jerry snickered. “He’s also a confirmed coward.” The dog cocked his head -to one side and regarded Jerry with plaintive eyes. - -“See, you hurt his feelings,” Quiz said. - -Jerry patted Prince’s head. “That’s all right, feller. So am I.” - -“That’s not what we hear,” Fenning told him. “Mr. Landers says you boys -were right in the thick of it all night. It was pretty rough, I guess.” - -“It sure was,” Sandy admitted. “And discouraging. When we came back this -morning, we thought it was all over but the shouting.” - -The three Canadians nodded sympathetically. “That’s fire for you,” Lukas -said. - -Quiz asked the men what had brought them all the way down from Canada. - -“Good neighbor policy,” Fenning said. “Your boys have helped us out on -some tough fires.” - -At the cutoff that led to the fire sector, three trucks loaded with men -and equipment were parked by the side of the road. - -Lukas waved to them as he drove past. “We’re off, boys. Follow us.” - -By the time they reached the north end of the ridge, the bulldozers had -already started to clear a fire line to the hill about a third of a mile -away. - -Dick Fellows and Ed Macauley came forward listlessly to greet them; the -ranger and the gang boss were too exhausted even to show their gratitude -that relief had finally arrived. - -The ranger pointed to the walkie-talkie sitting on the ground. “Landers -radioed the new battle plan to us. We’ve got it under way.” - -“Fine,” Lukas said. “We’ll take over from here. Your men must be ready -to drop in their tracks.” - -Macauley sighed. “They’re working strictly on nerve.” - -Lukas accompanied the ranger up to the top of the ridge, while the other -two Canadians mobilized their crews to go into action. From this vantage -point, it was possible to trace the course of the fire since its -beginning. With the heavy screen of foliage destroyed, the boundaries of -the burned-out area were clearly defined. There was a long narrow strip -parallel to the ridge, swelling out into a sector of more than 300 acres -to the southwest. Only a feeble surface fire was burning around the -fringes of this area now; the stiff gale was turning the flames back on -ground that had already been burned over. - -Sandy’s first impression was that this latest peril had been -exaggerated. Compared to the awe-inspiring spectacle of the previous -night, the fire as it appeared now, in broad daylight, didn’t seem very -threatening. After it had jumped the line at the end of the ridge, it -had taken an unusual shape and direction. It had been slowed down in the -center by the thinning timber and brush on the approaches to the hill -beyond the ridge. As a result, the fire front had flattened out and then -assumed a crescent shape as the flames went racing through the heavier -growth that flanked the hill on both sides. Sandy estimated that the -area it was burning over was less than fifty acres. When he pointed this -out to Dick Fellows, the ranger shook his head. - -“The way she’s crowning, we’d have trouble confining her on ten acres.” -He turned to Lukas. “You’re not going to have time to be too particular -with those lines. She’s moving in too fast.” - -Lukas agreed. “We’ll have to get our backfires started as soon as -possible, and just pray that the tank trucks can put out enough water to -keep _them_ from jumping back at us. That infernal wind! Why doesn’t it -let up!” - -Quiz called their attention to a great dark mass building up low on the -western horizon. “Aren’t those nimbus clouds?” he asked. - -The ranger studied them uncertainly. “They look like it all right. But -don’t count on their doing us any good. I’ve spotted nimbus formations a -dozen times this month, but they always drifted off somewhere else.” - -“What gives with this nimbus business?” Jerry demanded. - -“Rain clouds,” Quiz translated. “And they do seem to be coming in this -direction.” - -Lukas winked at the ranger. “The whole forest could burn down while -we’re waiting for rain. I better get to work.” He waved and started down -the slope toward the fire line. - -“What can we do, Dick?” Sandy asked the ranger. “We had about five -hours’ sleep, so we’re ready for action.” - -“Sleep,” Dick muttered, almost reverently. “I’ve forgotten what the word -means.” His eyes were sunken and bloodshot with enormous circles around -them. - -“Why couldn’t I take over for you for a while on the walkie-talkie?” -Sandy asked. “Even if you only grab a half-hour nap it would help.” - -“It sure would.” The idea seemed to appeal to him. “I could stretch out -here on the ground, and if anything important comes up you could wake -me.... The radio is a cinch to operate. All you have to do is keep -headquarters up to date on what’s happening at our end.” - -“You want us to scout again?” Jerry asked. - -“Yes. You take the line on one side of the hill; Quiz can scout the line -on the other side. Check back with Sandy every quarter of an hour or so -in case any new instructions come in from the chief.” - -“What I can’t understand,” Sandy said, examining the walkie-talkie -radio, “is why you don’t have a whole flock of these things all along -the fire line. If every gang boss had one, you’d know exactly what was -going on in every sector.” - -The ranger yawned. “Tell it to the taxpayers, my boy. It’s always the -things that are most important to their own safety and welfare that they -gripe most about paying for.... Well, I’m going to rest my tired bones.” -He stretched out on the hard, rocky ground and fell asleep immediately. - -“Come on, Quiz,” Jerry said. “Let’s get on the ball. I’ll give you a -break and take the line across the hill, so you won’t have to walk so -far.” - -Quiz snorted. “Big deal! Then I’m the guy who has to climb this hill -every fifteen minutes to check in. Unh-uh! I’ll flip you for it.” - -“Okay,” Jerry conceded grudgingly. “Sandy, you flip the coin.” - -Sandy grinned as he took a quarter from his pocket and spun it high in -the air. “You call, Quiz.” - -“Heads!” Quiz snapped. - -Sandy caught the coin deftly in one hand and slapped it down on the back -of his other hand. Slowly he uncovered it as Quiz and Jerry bent over to -look. - -“It’s tails,” he announced blandly. - -“I win!” Jerry exclaimed. “So I pick the far side of the hill. Don’t -take it so hard, pal. A little climbing will help to reduce that spare -tire of yours.” - -Quiz shook his head solemnly as he and Jerry started down the ridge. -“Just my luck. I always call them wrong.” - -As it turned out, it was one of the unluckiest calls Quiz had ever made -in his life. - - - - - CHAPTER TWELVE - Trapped on the Hill - - -Several times during the next hour, Sandy heard the deep rumble of -thunder, and a few minutes after three o’clock, the sun was blotted out -by a low overcast. But the velocity of the wind had been steadily -increasing, and the fire was raging more fiercely than ever. The -backfires had been completely ineffective, and at three-fifteen, Jerry -came puffing up the hill with the bad news. - -“She’s breached the line. Lukas says there’s no holding her now. They’re -going to evacuate.” - -For some time, a sweeping curtain of smoke had obscured Sandy’s view of -the fire front. And the reports he had received over the walkie-talkie -from headquarters indicated that aerial observation was no better. - -“I’d better wake up Dick,” he said. He went over to the ranger, who was -still in a deep sleep, and shook him violently. - -Dick Fellows raised himself laboriously on his elbows and listened -glassy-eyed as Sandy told him the latest development. “I knew it! I knew -it!” he mumbled. “All of it for nothing. In the end she was bound to -beat us.” He struggled to his knees. “I’ll notify headquarters. You boys -take one last scout down the line. Make certain all the men get out -safely.” - -At the bottom of the slope, Sandy turned and whistled to Prince, who was -sniffing curiously at a half-eaten sandwich in the grass. “Better come -with us, boy, so you don’t get left behind.” - -With a yelp, the dog trotted after them. - -A solid wall of fire blocked the first 600 feet of the trail that ran to -the hill, and they had to detour more than a hundred yards into the -woods. Machines and men crashed by them on all sides, hurrying in the -opposite direction. As they neared the hill, they ran into Lukas. - -“Where are you boys going?” he asked breathlessly. - -“We’re supposed to make sure that everybody gets out safely,” Sandy told -him. - -“You’re wasting your time,” the Canadian said. “All my men are accounted -for. We’ve lost her for good this time. She’s crowned and running fast -on both flanks.” - -“We’d better check anyway,” Sandy insisted. - -“Don’t get caught on that hill,” Lukas warned them. “In another twenty -minutes, the flanks will close and she’ll be cut off.” - -“We’ll be careful,” Sandy promised. “Come on, Jerry.” - -They ran on for another quarter of a mile without encountering anyone -else. As they came abreast of the hill, Sandy stopped. Ahead of them was -an impenetrable curtain of smoke, and beyond it they could hear the -unmistakable crackle of flames. - -“We’d better turn back,” Sandy said grimly. “If anyone is up there, -they’re finished anyway.” - -Jerry did an about-face without breaking step. “All you rabbits get out -of the way and make room for somebody who can really run,” he bellowed. - -“Wait a minute!” Sandy said. “Where’s that darn dog?” - -“He’s probably back at headquarters hiding under a tent flap,” Jerry -replied cynically. “The big coward. Come on, let’s go!” He reached out -and grabbed Sandy’s arm. - -The blond boy shook him off. “No, Jerry! He was here a minute ago.” - -Cupping his hands to his mouth, he began to shout: “Prince! Prin-n-ce! -Here, boy!” He put two fingers between his teeth and whistled shrilly. - -There was a long silence. Then, from a distance, they heard the sharp, -urgent barking of a dog. - -Jerry groaned. “Good night! What’s he up to now?” - -Sandy was perplexed. “Sounds like he’s over by the hill. But why?” Once -more, he formed a megaphone with his hands and called to the dog. -“_Prince! Come on, boy!_” - -This time he was answered by a mournful howl. - -Jerry’s voice was trembling. “Sandy, we’ve got to get out of here. You -heard what Lukas said.” - -The heat and smoke were stifling now, and the roar of the fire seemed to -surround them. - -Still Sandy hesitated. “Suppose Prince is hurt, Jerry?” - -“He was here just a minute ago!” Jerry’s voice was frantic. “How could -he get hurt?” - -“Maybe he stepped into a trap.” - -The other boy slapped one hand against the side of his head in -exasperation. “Oh, brother! Look, I’m leaving, pal.” He turned and ran -about ten paces, then looked back across his shoulder. “Aren’t you -coming, Sandy?” - -“You go on,” Sandy said stubbornly. “I’m going over to the hill and see -what’s happened to Prince.” - -“Sandy! Come back!” Jerry pleaded in desperation, as his friend -disappeared into the thick brush. He hesitated for just an instant, then -ran after him. “Hey, you dope! Wait for me!” he shouted. - -Sandy had covered about 200 yards when he stumbled into ankle-deep -water. He vaguely recalled one of the fire fighters mentioning that a -stream ran around the east side of the hill. He continued on until he -felt the ground rise sharply beneath his feet. Then he stopped and -called out to the dog. - -“Prince! Where are you, boy?” - -Ahead of him, to the left, he heard loud barking. He followed the sound -and broke out of the trees onto the abandoned fire line. Glancing to the -left and right along the ten-foot strip, he saw a solid wall of fire on -both sides where the flames had jumped the line. Roughly 1200 feet -separated the twin fronts, but as the flames raced through the trees -behind the hill, the gap was closing fast. - -Sandy started as Prince’s head burst out of a thicket across the path -from him. “There you are!” he said with relief. “What are you doing way -over here? Come on, we’ve got to get out of the woods fast.” - -Prince barked and backed into the thicket again. - -“You stupid dog! _Come here!_” Sandy yelled. In a frenzy of anger, he -dropped down on his hands and knees and charged into the thicket after -the dog. He had gone about five feet when he came upon Prince standing -over the still form of Quiz Taylor sprawled out on the ground. From the -fire line he had been completely hidden by the thick foliage. - -Sandy had a moment of overwhelming panic and confusion. Behind him, he -heard Jerry calling to him. “Over here, Jerry,” he shouted as he stood -up in the waist-deep brush. - -Jerry stared at him incredulously from the center of the path. “What are -you doing?” - -“It’s Quiz,” Sandy said weakly. “He’s unconscious. Give me a hand. We’ve -got to carry him out.” - -Jerry turned pale. “Good night!” He struggled through the bushes to -Sandy’s side and stared bug-eyed at Quiz. “Is he alive? What happened to -him?” - -“I think he’s alive. But I don’t know what happened to him. If it hadn’t -been for Prince—” He didn’t finish the statement, but Jerry knew what he -meant. - -The boys managed to get Quiz on his feet, and by slinging one of his -arms around each of their necks, they were able to drag him along -between them. Their progress was painfully slow. Every few feet, vines, -bushes and other impediments would snag on Quiz’s feet. And both Jerry -and Sandy were physically exhausted from the night before. They had only -gone as far as the stream when it became obvious to Sandy that the dead -weight of the stout boy was too much for them. - -“We’ll never make it, Jerry,” he gasped. “The fire will get us for -sure.” - -Jerry was on the verge of panic. “What’ll we do? We can’t leave him -here.” - -Sandy looked around frantically. “We’ve only got one chance. The hill. -Maybe we can signal to the helicopter from the top.” - -Jerry shook his head in despair. “They’ll never spot us through all this -smoke.” - -“Just the same,” Sandy insisted. “It’s our only chance. I heard one of -the rangers say that forest fires often leave one side of a hill -untouched.” Abruptly, his eyes fell on Prince, who was standing in the -shallow water, whimpering and trembling. “Say, I’ve got an idea!” He -rummaged in his pockets until he found the stub of a pencil. “You got -anything I can write on, Jerry?” - -“Here’s a piece of paper that’s blank on one side.” Jerry handed him a -folded sheet on which Dick Fellows had scribbled a message the night -before. - -Sandy crouched down, and spreading the paper flat on his leg, he began -printing in big block letters: - - TRAPPED ON HILL. SEND HELP. SANDY - -When he had finished the message, he sat down and began to unlace one -boot. - -“What the heck are you doing?” Jerry asked. - -“I need the lace to fasten this note to Prince’s collar. The way he -travels, he can make it out of here easily. If the note gets to Uncle -Russ—or anybody for that matter—maybe they can notify the ’copter pilot -that we’re on the hill. You’ve seen how they perform air rescues in the -movies, haven’t you?” - -Jerry’s voice wasn’t too hopeful. “Sure. They drop rope ladders or -slings. But by the time they get this note—if they _ever_ do—we’ll be -fried to a crisp.” - -It took all of Sandy’s will power to force a feeble grin. “We’ll come -out of this, pal. The most important thing to remember when you’re in a -tight spot, Uncle Russ says, is to stay calm and cool; if you use your -head there’s mostly always a way out.” - -“Save your breath, Sandy. I’m so scared I could blubber.” - -Sandy folded the paper several times until it was a tight little wad. -Then he called the dog over to him. Wedging the paper into the leash -ring on Prince’s leather collar, he bound it securely in place with the -long thong from his boot. He took the Doberman’s slender muzzle between -his two hands and looked straight into the intelligent brown eyes. - -“Prince,” he said slowly, emphasizing each word. “Go ... to ... Uncle -Russ ... Uncle Russ ... Understand? ... Find Uncle Russ ... That’s the -boy.” He turned Prince around in the opposite direction and gave him a -pat on the rump. “Go, boy!” - -With a parting yelp, Prince streaked out of sight into the forest. - -The crackle of the fire was louder now, and they could see it advancing -through the treetops on both sides of them. The sky was completely -blotted out by smoke, creating an artificial dusk. - -“We’d better get back to the hill,” Sandy said. - -“What do you say we soak ourselves in the stream?” Jerry suggested. “I -heard somewhere that you can protect yourself from the heat and flying -embers that way.” - -“Good idea,” Sandy agreed. “Maybe the cold water will revive Quiz too.” - -The two boys stretched out full length in the sluggish stream, turning -over and over until their clothing was soaked back and front. Last of -all, they pulled Quiz into the stream, splashing water on his face and -head. - -For the first time since they had found him, he showed signs of life—a -soft moan and a fluttering of his eyelids. - -“He’s got a lump the size of an egg on his head,” Sandy pointed out. He -scooped up a handful of wet mud from the bed of the stream and plastered -it on the swelling. - -“Look, he’s coming to,” Jerry said. - -Gradually, the injured boy’s eyes opened; they stared blankly into space -for a few moments, then focused on the anxious faces hovering over him. - -“Sandy ... Jerry ...” he said weakly. “Was I asleep?” - -“You were out cold,” Sandy told him. He touched the lump on Quiz’s head -gingerly. “Something must have conked you.” - -Recollection flooded back to Quiz. “I climbed a tree to see if I could -get a better look at the fire. A branch broke and that’s about all I -remember.” - -“Do you feel strong enough to walk?” Sandy asked him. - -“I think so.” Suddenly his hands went to his eyes. “My glasses! Where -are they? I can’t see two feet ahead of me without my glasses.” - -Sandy winced. “I picked them up, Quiz. But I don’t think they’re going -to do you much good.” He reached into his shirt pocket and took out a -pair of woeful-looking eyeglasses. The frames were twisted like a -pretzel and the lenses were spiderwebbed with tiny shatters. - -Quiz accepted them glumly. By twisting and bending the pliable frames, -he was finally able to wear them, though they perched on his nose at a -rakish angle. In spite of their predicament, Sandy and Jerry had to -laugh. - -“You look like a cockeyed owl,” Jerry said. - -“Nobody asked you,” Quiz growled. He squinted through the shattered -lenses. “It’s like looking through cheesecloth. But it’s better than -nothing.” - -A blast of scorching air hit Sandy on the side of his face. Because of -the smoke and the thickness of this portion of the woods, it was -impossible to tell exactly how far away the fire was, but he knew it -couldn’t be too far. - -“Come on, boys, we’ve got to get back to the hill.” - -Quiz’s mind was still a bit hazy. “Hill?” he demanded. “You mean the -ridge?” - -Briefly Sandy described how the fire had out-flanked them. - -“We’re cut off,” Jerry said with a note of doom in his voice. -“Surrounded by fire.” - -Quiz swallowed hard. “There must be _something_ we can do.” He snapped -his fingers as a thought hit him. “Wait a minute! Macauley’s men left a -pile of shovels, hoes and picks behind when they were relieved by the -Canadians. We can clear a line in the grass on this side of the hill and -start a backfire.” - -“What are we waiting for?” Sandy said. He led the way out of the forest, -which ended about ten yards beyond the abandoned fire line. Directly -ahead, the hill rose up like an oversized haystack. - -Quiz pointed to a stack of digging implements off to one side. “There’s -the stuff I was telling you about. But first let’s go up to the top and -have a look around.” He started up the steep, grassy slope that ran up -about 200 feet to the summit. - -The top of the hill was littered with rocks of all sizes and shapes. The -boys scrambled up on an enormous boulder, where they had a bird’s-eye -view of the surrounding countryside. Up here, the force of the wind was -so great that they had to crouch on hands and knees to keep from being -toppled over. On the west slope, a slow but determined grass fire was -burning all around the base of the hill. But they had never seen -anything to match the fury of the crown fire raging all around them. A -quarter of a mile behind the hill, the twin fronts had finally united, -sealing off the last corridor of escape. They were now literally -isolated on an island in the midst of a sea of flame. A shifting current -of air sent a hail of hot coals and blazing twigs raining down on the -hill. - -“Ouch!” Jerry beat out a spark that was sizzling on the wet material of -his pants. - -Smoke spiraled up from several spots on the grassy slope away from the -fire. - -“Come on!” Sandy yelled, leaping off the boulder. “We’ve got to beat -those out before they really get started.” He ran down the slope to the -nearest place where the grass was smoldering and stomped on the sparks -with his boots. - -Jerry went to another danger spot farther down the slope, while Quiz -spotted one in a patch of heavy brush far to the left. As Quiz leaped -feet-first into the bushes, Sandy, who was looking in that direction, -was startled to see his friend unexpectedly disappear as if the earth -had swallowed him. He heard the rattle of falling earth and stones, -followed by a cry of pain. - -“Quiz!” he shouted in alarm, and started over in that direction. - - - - - CHAPTER THIRTEEN - An Unexpected Find - - -With relief, he heard Quiz’s voice. “Watch your step! There’s a big hole -over here.” - -Sandy advanced cautiously to the rim of a crater hidden in the high -brush. “Good night!” he said anxiously, as Quiz’s head poked into view. -“This is your unlucky day. Did you hurt yourself?” - -“I think I sprained my ankle.” The other boy held up his hand. “Give me -a lift, will you?” - -Jerry came up and the two of them dragged poor Quiz out of the hole. - -“Now, how do you suppose that got here?” Sandy said. - -Quiz shrugged. “Looks like a meteorite crater. Anyway, it really wasn’t -such bad luck my falling into it. It’s the perfect place for us to wait -out the fire.” - -“How do you mean?” Jerry demanded. - -“We build our fire line right around the circumference. Clear a strip -about two feet wide out from the edge and start a backfire. It’s deep -enough so that even if the whole hill goes up, we’ll be protected from -the heat.” - -“That’s a great idea, Quiz!” Sandy exclaimed, pounding him on the back. -“You wait here while Jerry and I go down and bring up some of those -shovels and stuff.” - -Leaving Quiz to nurse his injured ankle, the other two boys hot-footed -it down the slope to the mound of equipment the fire fighters had left -behind. Sandy gathered up a shovel and two picks. “Grab a couple of -those Pulaski hoes,” he told Jerry. Tears streamed out of his eyes from -the smoke, and Jerry was seized with a coughing spell that almost choked -him. The heat was unbearable as the fire closed in on the hill. - -Staggering up the slope again with their load, they dumped the tools at -the edge of the crater. For a few minutes, they were too breathless to -work. - -“I’ve never been so pooped in my life,” Jerry gasped. “Even after four -quarters of football.” - -“Lack of oxygen,” Quiz theorized. “The fire steals it out of the air.” - -Sandy remembered a dreadful story he had heard about a dozen men who had -taken shelter in a cave in the midst of a forest fire. The fire hadn’t -touched them, but they had all died nevertheless. The fire had exhausted -all the oxygen in the cave in the same way that a candle will when it -burns under a glass bell in a laboratory experiment. He was glad that -this was an open pit high on the side of a hill. - -“We had better get started,” he said. “Quiz has a bad leg, Jerry, so you -and I will do the heavy work. Quiz do you think you can follow us up -with a hoe?” - -“Sure thing,” Quiz said promptly. “I think the old ankle will hold up.” - -They worked in a frenzy, fear and desperation lending them strength and -endurance that Sandy had never realized they had. Only minutes before, -he had felt he was too weary to lift an ax, much less swing one in such -tireless fashion. In less than twenty minutes, they had cleared a broad -ribbon around the rim of the crater. - -The hill was ringed in flames now. Below them the fire swept through the -grass from the wood line and started up the slope. The sparse growth on -the crest was ablaze, and on either side a dozen little spot fires, -ignited by flying embers, spread and merged. - -Sandy jumped down into the loose sand and gravel of the crater. “C’mon, -you guys! Let’s shovel this stuff up all around the edges to form a -barricade.” - -Grabbing a shovel, he plunged it into the sand. There was a dull _clank_ -of metal jarring against metal, about two inches below the surface. - -“Wow!” he exclaimed, feeling the impact vibrate through the handle into -his hands. “What did I hit?” - -“Maybe a chest of pirate gold,” Jerry suggested, leaping into the hole -after Sandy. - -“Bright boy,” Quiz said sarcastically. “Maybe Captain Kidd sailed all -the way to Red Lake to bury his booty.” - -Sandy and Jerry dropped to their knees and began scooping the loose -earth away from the spot with their hands. Quickly they uncovered the -edge of what seemed to be a flat sheet of metal. They continued digging -until they had uncovered enough of the object for Sandy to get a grip on -it. He pulled and tugged, but it was immovable. - -“This is only a small piece of whatever it is,” he said finally. “It’s -buried pretty deep.” - -Quiz, who had come up behind them, was studying the exposed metal with -keen interest. “Dig some more,” he told them. - -As the boys pawed away at the earth like dogs, the strange object began -to assume form—a vaguely familiar form, Sandy thought. It was coated -with a heavy, dull green paint. - -“Oh, good night!” Quiz whispered suddenly. “You know what that looks -like?” - -At that instant the same idea must have struck both Sandy and Jerry, for -they stopped digging and looked up with stricken expressions. - -“It looks like a fin—a fin on the tail of a bomb!” Sandy said -tremulously. - -“It couldn’t be!” Jerry’s voice cracked. “Or could it?” - -Quiz adjusted his smashed glasses and peered more closely at the -mysterious object. “It could be and it _is_! That’s a fin all right. I -saw a newsreel once showing a demolition squad removing a dud bomb from -a meadow in England; it had been there ever since World War Two. And it -was lying half-buried in a crater just like this one.” - -Jerry began to back away as if he were confronting a poisonous snake. -“Imagine sitting on an A-bomb, fellows! We gotta do something!” - -Sandy looked around grimly at the flames converging on them. “Right now -we’re in a lot more danger from that fire than we are from any bomb. -Come on, Jerry, let’s get busy with the shovels. Quiz, you start -lighting the backfires. I picked up a signal flare down below along with -these tools. It’s over by the hoes. You should be able to ignite this -dry grass easily with that.” - -With the backfires blazing strongly around the parapet of earth that -Sandy and Jerry had erected along the rim of the pit, the boys arranged -themselves in a prone position in the center of the pit. Its sides -shielded them from the direct blast of the flames, and the earth they -were lying on was cool and comforting. As an added precaution against -flying embers, they covered themselves from foot to neck with sand. - -“Now I know how a mole feels,” Sandy said. - -“I wish I were a mole,” Jerry answered. “I wouldn’t stop burrowing until -I reached China.” - -Quiz heaved a handful of sand at a burning brand that had dropped a few -feet away. “I don’t know what you’re so worried about. We’re as snug and -safe here as three bugs in a rug.” - -“Four bugs in a rug,” Jerry amended gravely. “You forgot the bomb. For -all we know that baby might be all set to blow this very minute.” - -“Don’t be silly,” Quiz scoffed. - -“It’s not so silly,” Jerry defended his position. “You heard what -General Steele said. Anything is possible. Even he couldn’t predict what -might happen.” - -“Gee, I wonder what Uncle Russ is doing right now. He’s probably -wondering how he’s going to break the news to our folks,” Sandy said. - -“You think Prince got to him with that note?” Jerry wanted to know. - -Sandy shrugged. “Even if he did, Uncle Russ must think we’re fried to a -crisp by now.” - -Quiz gazed affectionately at the exposed tip of the bomb’s fin. “We -might have been too, if it hadn’t been for this lovely hole. We never -could have dug it ourselves.” - -Sandy raised his head and sniffed. “I wonder how the fire is coming? -Doesn’t it sound as if it’s letting up a little?” - -“The smoke’s not so thick,” Quiz admitted. “Want to take a look?” - -“I’ll go.” Sandy sat up, dumping the dirt off himself. “You fellows stay -in your cocoons.” Slowly he got to his feet and looked around. - -On all sides of the crater, the ground was black and smoking and -littered with glowing embers. But only in a few places were there still -tongues of flame licking up. The hill had been burned clean, but the -danger was over. Sandy felt his knees go wobbly with relief. The forest -was still blazing fiercely all around them, but they were safe now. - -“I think we’ve made it, fellows,” he said. “All we’ve got to do now is -wait for somebody to come and rescue us.” - -For the next half hour, the boys watched the fire spreading through the -forest to the east. Several times Sandy ventured out of the pit, but the -burned ground seared his feet even through his thick-soled boots. - -“How long do you think it’ll be before they find us?” Jerry asked -impatiently. - -“I have no idea.” A new thought struck Sandy. “You know, maybe they -don’t even know we’re missing. There must be so much confusion back at -headquarters, that Uncle Russ probably hasn’t had time to give us a -thought. He may think we’re somewhere along the road working with one of -the crews.” - -“Do you think they’ll be able to stop her at the road?” Jerry said. - -“Oh, they’ll bottle her up between the two big firebreaks,” Quiz said. -“But it’s still going to be a major catastrophe. All that beautiful -timber going up in smoke—enough wood to build an entire city, Macauley -says.” - -“Well, just so _we_ didn’t go up in smoke,” Jerry said. “Along with our -friend back there.... Doesn’t it give you the cold shivers to think that -you’re sitting on top of an atomic bomb?” - -“Not in the least,” Quiz denied. “As a matter of fact, I’d like to dig -the thing out and see what it looks like. We can’t tell anything about -it from that little tip of the fin.” - -Jerry stared at Quiz as if he were crazy. “You’ll dig alone, friend. And -wait until I’m at least a thousand miles away.” - -Quiz shook his head despairingly. “Jerry, where’s your scientific -curiosity?” - -“You know what curiosity did?” Jerry said. - -Sandy motioned for them to be quiet. “Listen; hear anything?” - -The throb of engines came to them through the smoky overcast. - -“Sounds like a chopper,” Jerry said. - -Soon it was directly overhead and building up in volume. Unexpectedly a -big helicopter broke out of the smoke less than fifty feet above them. -The boys leaped up and down, waving their arms and shouting. Even Quiz -hopped about on his one good leg. The figures in the glass-enclosed -cockpit were clearly visible. - -“There’s Uncle Russ!” Sandy yelled. - -The great rotor blades churned the air like the wings of a giant bird as -the ship braked its descent about twenty-five feet above the pit and -hung motionless in air. - -“They’re not going to land, are they?” Jerry looked concerned. “It will -squat right on top of us.” - -In answer to his question, a hatch in the underside of the plane slid -open and a Jacob’s ladder was let down slowly. A man’s voice blasted out -of the ’copter’s special loud-speaker system: - -“This is Russ Steele.... Are you all okay?... Just nod your heads, I -can’t hear you.” The boys nodded vigorously. “Good! Think you can all -make it up the ladder?... Still too hot down there to try a landing.” -Sandy and Jerry nodded, then pointed to Quiz’s ankle with elaborate -gestures. “Quiz can’t make the climb?... Well, Quiz, do you think you -can hold on while we reel you in?” Quiz nodded his head affirmatively. -“Fine. Sandy and Jerry, you two come on up first.” - -The ladder was dangling right before their noses now. Sandy took a long -breath and put his left foot on the first wooden rung, grasping the rope -sides firmly. “Here I go,” he said. - -And go he did! Without warning, a gust of wind caught the ’copter and -lifted it ten feet in the air. Sandy, clinging for his life to the -ladder, went sailing up and out in a wide arc. Back and forth he swung -like an acrobat on a high trapeze. Below him the ground swirled -sickeningly and he squeezed his eyes tight shut. Uncle Russ’s voice rang -in his ears. - -“_Hold tight! You’ll be all right._” - -He swung and spun in diminishing circles until finally the ladder was -still. Then he began to climb as fast as he dared, praying that the wind -wouldn’t play any more tricks on him. At last, strong arms reached down -to pull him through the hatch into the plane, and he collapsed on the -floor, temporarily speechless. The most he could manage was a weak smile -of assurance for his uncle. - -Russ Steele had aged ten years since Sandy had seen him earlier that -afternoon. He put both hands on Sandy’s shoulders and squeezed so hard -the boy winced. “Thank God you’re safe,” he said gratefully. “When I -read that note—” His voice choked. “Prince was nagging at me for over an -hour before I spotted that paper in his collar. Look, we’ll talk about -it later. I’ve got to get those other boys up here.” - -Within a few minutes, Sandy had recovered sufficiently to crawl over to -the hatch and watch Jerry make the precarious ascent. This time the -’copter behaved itself, but Jerry had a great deal of difficulty -mastering the Jacob’s ladder. Every time he raised a foot and placed it -on another rung, foot and ladder would swing out and up and Jerry would -find himself hanging parallel to the ground. Russ Steele yelled to him -through the loud-speaker. - -“Jerry, use your arms! Lift with your arms and push with your feet at -the same time. They’ve got to work together.” - -“Lucky thing I’ve been on those ladders before,” Sandy observed -sympathetically. “Poor Jerry.” - -But Jerry was eventually pulled aboard without any accident and lay -puffing and wheezing on the floorboards like a beached whale. - -Quiz had the easiest ascent of all, standing on the bottom rung of the -ladder while it was hauled up to the plane. - -Then the ’copter’s engines roared and it went leaping into the sky like -a big grasshopper. - - - - - CHAPTER FOURTEEN - The Rains Came - - -Because of this latest emergency, Fire Boss Landers had moved his -headquarters about two miles down the road to the junction of the two -big firebreaks. Over four hundred smoke-eaters were strung out along -this line. Twice they had fought the fire on its own terms in the thick -forest and had had victory within their grasp—only to see it get away -from them. Now, tired and discouraged, they had retreated to strong -defensive positions established years before for just such an emergency. -They would wait until the fire came to them, hurling itself against the -firebreaks as a wild beast throws itself against the bars of its cage. -They would watch its struggles become weaker and weaker until, at last, -it would burn itself out. But in some vague, intangible way, they felt -that the fire had really won the battle. For it would be hundreds of -years before man and nature could rebuild what the fire had destroyed. - -The remarkable escape of the boys was the only heartening note in camp -that second night of the forest fire. Time and time again, they had to -repeat the dramatic story for new audiences. - -“They ought to strike medals for the lot of you,” Paul Landers declared -enthusiastically. - -“They might just do that,” Russ Steele mumbled under his breath, just -loud enough for his nephew to hear. As soon as the rescue plane had -landed them back at headquarters, Sandy had pulled his uncle aside for a -private conversation. Minutes later a carefully worded telegram was on -its way to the Pentagon: - - FIRE STILL RAGING UNCHECKED HERE AT RED LAKE BUT WE PLUCKED OUR HOT - POTATO OUT BEFORE IT WAS TOO BADLY BURNED - -“The local telegrapher must be really scratching his head over that -one,” Russ said with a laugh, as he and the boys sat around in a circle -on the ground eating supper. - -“What happens now?” Jerry asked. - -“The Air Force will fly a top-security demolition team up here pronto. -Probably tomorrow morning. The bomb will be dismantled and that will be -the end of it.... I don’t have to tell you boys that the government owes -you a debt of enormous gratitude for finding its ‘hot potato.’” - -Sandy grinned. “We didn’t exactly find it. More accurately, we stumbled -over it.” - -“_I_ stumbled over it,” Quiz corrected, patting his ankle, now tightly -strapped with elastic bandage. “But as I pointed out to Sandy and Jerry -before, General Steele, we owe our lives to the fact that the bomb fell -where it did. If we hadn’t had that hole to crawl into, there might have -been three well-done potatoes on that hill.” - -Ranger Dick Fellows approached them with his plate and coffee mug. “Mind -if I join you fellows?” - -“Sit down,” Russ invited him. “How’s the fire?” - -“Looks as if she’ll lay waste the entire area due east and due north of -the end of the ridge between the two roads. All we can do now is -concentrate on the flanks. If that wind should reverse itself, she might -burn clear back to the river before we could stop her.” - -The boys let out a long groan. “Oh, no!” Sandy said with disbelief. -“That couldn’t happen!” - -“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Dick said pessimistically. “Fire in -Idaho played tag with the fire fighters for three days. Burned off -thirty thousand acres before it was controlled by—” In the middle of the -sentence, he stopped and cocked his head to one side. “Say, do you hear -what I hear?” - -Sandy became aware of a loud rustling in the heavy foliage overhead. -“Sounds as if the wind is picking up again.” - -“Wind nothing!” To the amazement of Russ Steele and the three boys, Dick -Fellows unexpectedly threw his mess tin high into the air and let out an -ear-splitting Indian yell. - -“Holy smokes!” Jerry said, edging back from the ranger. “He’s blown his -stack.” - -Sandy heard the deep rumble of thunder, and then he felt the _splat_ of -a raindrop on the top of his head, followed by another and another. Soon -they were falling all around him, making little pockmarks in the dry -dust. - -“Rain!” Jerry said in an awed voice. - -Dick Fellows was nearly hysterical. “Rain!” he repeated. And before -Jerry could stop him, he had snatched _his_ plate away and tossed it -into the air. - -“Who’s hungry?” Sandy cried gleefully and sent his meat loaf and mashed -potatoes soaring. As if at a signal, the other fire fighters who were -eating in the grove followed suit. - -“I can’t tell which it’s raining harder,” Quiz said, “gravy or water.” - -Prince and a few other stray dogs who had attached themselves to the -camp were having a field day, scampering around gobbling up the -discarded food. The road was crowding up fast with men leaping about -with their faces turned to the sky. This was a rain to end all rain. It -was almost as if the sky had been filling up during all the weeks of the -drought and finally had burst open like a balloon, dumping its whole -reservoir onto the parched earth in one big splash. - -Sandy saw men dancing together in a knee-deep rivulet running down a -culvert at the side of the road. He saw one man scoop up a handful of -mud and throw it at another man like a kid with a snowball. - -Fire Boss Landers was standing by himself very quietly, his face turned -up to the sky, and Sandy had a feeling that tears were running down his -cheeks along with the raindrops. - -Dick Fellows grabbed Sandy by the arm and pointed to a gigantic cloud -almost a mile wide that was rising and spreading across the forest to -the west. - -“Smoke?” Sandy asked fearfully. - -“Steam!” the ranger bawled happily. “What we couldn’t do in two days, -nature has done in a matter of minutes. The fire’s done for.” - -Sandy saw his uncle walking slowly in the direction of the headquarters -tent. “Where are you going?” he called after him. - -Russ turned and grinned back at them. “Don’t you guys know enough to -come in out of the rain?” - - - - - CHAPTER FIFTEEN - End of the Trail - - -Sleeping in a pup tent was out of the question that night. Ankle-deep -mud covered the ground as the rain continued unabated. Russ Steele -bunked in with Paul Landers and the boys were invited to use three empty -cots in one of the Canadian squad tents. It was pleasant sitting around -in a circle on the cots by the dim light of an oil lamp, hearing the -drops pelt and drum on the canvas sides of the tent. They shared these -quarters with two older men who were veterans of a thousand outdoor -adventures, and their stories held the boys spellbound. - -But by ten o’clock none of them could keep their eyes open, and they put -out the light and rolled up in their blankets. For nine hours, Sandy -slept the deep, untroubled sleep of exhaustion until his uncle shook him -gently awake the next morning. - -“Time to break camp,” Russ told him. “The helicopter pilot is going to -give us a free ride back to Red Lake. I don’t imagine Quiz will be able -to do much walking on that bad leg for a while.” - -“He’s not the only one,” Sandy groaned. “I feel about ninety years old. -Every muscle in my body aches.” - -“You’ll loosen up once you start moving around.” - -In the next cot, Jerry pushed himself up drowsily on one elbow. “I’ll -_never_ be the same again.” - -Russ Steele laughed. “Hey now, that’s no way to talk. You boys have -almost three weeks of your vacation to go.” - -“What!” Jerry squawked. “It feels as though we’ve been living in the -woods all our lives.” - -“Too much for you, eh?” - -“Heck, no!” Jerry said hastily. “I wouldn’t have traded a minute of it -for anything.” - -“Even the couple of hours we camped on the hill with that bomb?” Sandy -asked slyly. - -“Absolutely not,” Jerry maintained. “Only if it’s all the same to you -guys. I’d just as soon spend the next couple of weeks camped smack in -the middle of Red Lake aboard that nifty power launch—with plenty of -water all around me.” - -“I’ll buy that,” Sandy agreed. - -Russ Steele nodded. “You can swim, fish and go water skiing. And explore -the lake. It’s pretty big, you know. Some day, we can cruise down to the -lower lake and visit the Indian Reservation.” - -“Great!” Sandy looked around to make sure that their Canadian tent-mates -were not around. “What about the bomb? Are we just going to take off and -leave it?” - -“Everything’s under control,” Russ assured him. “A special military -detail arrived at dawn to expedite that matter. You’ll be relieved to -learn that there is no trace of radioactivity in the area whatsoever. -Evidently, the casing was not shattered by the impact.” - -Quiz woke up just in time to hear the last part of the conversation. -“That’s good. Last night I dreamed that I glowed in the dark like the -radium numbers on a watch face. What a nightmare!” - -“So what?” Jerry said brightly. “Just think, you could read in the dark -by the light of your nose.” - -Sandy swung his feet around to give Jerry’s cot a hard shove. “You -didn’t think it was so funny yesterday, old buddy.” - -Russ Steele stood up. “Get a move on, boys. We don’t want to miss that -plane ride back to the lodge. I’ll meet you over at the mess tent.” - -While they were dressing, Quiz began to speak self-consciously. “You -know, I never did get a chance to thank you guys.” - -Sandy and Jerry exchanged puzzled looks. “Thank us for what?” - -“Oh, you know,” Quiz said gruffly. “I mean you two wouldn’t have been -trapped by the fire if you hadn’t come back to look for me. Well, you -risked your lives to save me. I don’t know quite how to say it, but—” - -“Don’t say it,” Sandy cut in, bending over quickly to tie his shoelace. -“Have it engraved on a medal.” - -“Solid gold,” Jerry added. “None of this cheap gold-plated stuff.” - -“Aw, wait a minute!” Quiz roared. “I’m trying to be serious.” - -“On second thought,” Jerry said, “the town of Valley View might have -given us a gold _cup_ if we hadn’t bothered.” He ducked as Quiz heaved a -shoe at him. - -“Oafs!” Quiz fumed. - -Sandy laughed. “Old buddy, you know perfectly well that we couldn’t have -deserted anybody in a spot like that—not even Pepper March.” - -“Good old Pepper,” Jerry mused. “He sure will feel bad that _you_ got -off that hill, Sandy. Just imagine, that would have left the quarterback -slot on the school team wide open for him this fall.” - -“Good night!” Sandy sat up straight. “That’s right, summer is -practically over. In less than three weeks, the new term starts.” - -Jerry slumped forward sadly on the edge of his cot. “You know what I -just did? I just went and ruined the rest of my vacation.” He sniffed as -the smell of frying bacon drifted into the tent. “But not my appetite. -Come on, you guys, let’s go to chow.” - - - SANDY STEELE ADVENTURES - - 1. BLACK TREASURE - -Sandy Steele and Quiz spend an action-filled summer in the oil fields of -the Southwest. In their search for oil and uranium, they unmask a -dangerous masquerader. - - 2. DANGER AT MORMON CROSSING - -On a hunting trip in the Lost River section of Idaho, Sandy and Mike -ride the rapids, bag a mountain lion, and stumble onto the answer to a -hundred-year-old mystery. - - 3. STORMY VOYAGE - -Sandy and Jerry James ship as deck hands on one of the “long boats” of -the Great Lakes. They are plunged into a series of adventures and find -themselves involved in a treacherous plot. - - 4. FIRE AT RED LAKE - -Sandy and his friends pitch in to fight a forest fire in Minnesota. Only -they and Sandy’s uncle know that there is an unexploded A-bomb in the -area to add to the danger. - - 5. SECRET MISSION TO ALASKA - -A pleasant Christmas trip turns into a startling adventure. Sandy and -Jerry participate in a perilous dog-sled race, encounter a wounded bear, -and are taken as hostages by a ruthless enemy. - - 6. TROUBLED WATERS - -When Sandy and Jerry mistakenly sail off in a stranger’s sloop instead -of their own, they land in a sea of trouble. Their attempts to -outmaneuver a desperate crew are intertwined with fascinating sailing -lore. - - PUBLISHED BY SIMON AND SCHUSTER - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - ---In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the - HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Fire at Red Lake, by Roger Barlow - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FIRE AT RED LAKE *** - -***** This file should be named 50257-0.txt or 50257-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/2/5/50257/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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