It'll haunt me always. Of course we had to save
our own lives; we had no time to go to them. Yet--"
"Don't let it worry you, Dick," I interrupted.
"What do you mean?" he asked, slowly.
"Why, I beat the fire up to the cabin, that's all. Buell's horse can run
some. I cut the men loose, and we made up across the ridge, got lost,
surrounded by fire, and then I got Herky to help me start a back-fire in
that big canyon."
"Back-fire!" exclaimed Dick, slamming the table with his big fist. Then he
settled down and looked at me. Hiram looked at me. Jim looked at me, and
not one of them said a word for what seemed a long time. It brought the
blood to my face. But for all my embarrassment it was sweet praise. At last
Dick broke the silence.
"Ken Ward, this stumps me I . . . Tell us about it."
So I related my adventures from the moment they had left me till we met
again.
"It was a wild boy's trick, Ken--that ride in the very face of fire in a
dry forest. But, thank God, you saved the lives of those fellows." "Amen!"
exclaimed old Hiram, fervently. "My lad, you saved Penetier, too; thar's no
doubt on it. The fire was sweepin' up the canyon, an' it would have crossed
the brook somewhars in thet stretch you back-fired."
"Ken, you shore was born in Texas," drawl Jim Williams.
Pages:
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209