rly tottered, with the
insensible human form in his arms, back to the window:

As he stepped out upon the ladder Jack vaguely heard the cheers that
volleyed up at him.

To most of those below it looked as though he were moving easily. But
Hal, waiting on the rungs of the ladder, just below the fearful belt
of smoke and flames, saw differently at a glance.

Holding firmly to his burden, Jack started down carefully, but as swiftly
as his quaking knees would permit.

"Come along! Steady with you!" bellowed up Hal Hastings, as he fought
his way up to his chum.

An instant later Hal growled out

"Let her go. I have her--safe!"

Hal was just above the smoke belt, and his own head was reeling, now.
Tongues of flame leaped out at them all. Speed alone could save them
from one of the most painful of deaths.

Down through the belt they moved. As they neared the ground willing
hands reached out to catch them.

"Pull those blankets off the girl! They're afire," shouted one man,
and was obeyed. Mlle. Nadiboff, after the blankets had been stripped
away, was carried off, still unconscious though safe as far as fire was
concerned.

The clothing of both the submarine boys had caught and was smouldering.
Both Jack and Hal submitted to being thrown on the ground and rolled
until the last spark had been extinguished.

"Bring milk--a lot of it, for these young men," ordered a physician who
stood in the crowd. For Jack and Hal, on their feet again, leaned
almost helplessly against Farnum and Pollard. Their lungs were so
filled with smoke that both boys felt as though they could never breathe
again.

When the milk was brought, however, and forced down their throats under
the doctor's orders, they found that this somewhat oily fluid brought
back a good deal of the missing power to breathe. After a while both
boys began to move about again. Yet both felt a strange feeling of
oppression and weakness.

"For the rest, your feelings will simply have to wear off," the
physician told them. "You'll be all right in time. And it was a fine,
manly piece of work that you both did."

After nearly an hour of stubborn work the firemen saved the main
building, though that southern wing was practically destroyed.

When the danger was over hotel discipline asserted itself once more.
News was passed that the belated dinner was ready, and the lately
excited guests filed in for their meal, though many complained of a
loss of appet