A well-secured shaft of
stone rose through the lower apartment into the upper floor. Profiting by
this happy precaution, the handmaidens of Ruth plied the buckets with
diligence, while the young men cast water freely on the roof, from the
windows of the attic. The latter duty, it may readily be supposed, was not
performed without hazard. Flights of arrows were constantly directed
against the borers, and more than one of the youths received greater or
less injuries, while exposed to their annoyance. There were indeed a few
minutes, during which it remained a question of grave interest how far the
risk they ran was likely to be crowned with success. The excessive heat of
so many fires, and the occasional contact with the flames, as they swept
in eddies over the place, began to render it doubtful whether any human
efforts could long arrest the evil. Even the massive and moistened logs of
the body of the work began to smoke; and it was found, by experiment,
that the hand could rest but a moment on their surface.
During this interval of deep suspense, all the men posted at the loops
were called to aid in extinguishing the fire.
Pages:
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335