other croaking creatures to cover. But now and
then a sudden rumble "Better-go-roun'!" or "Knee-deep! Knee-deep!"
proclaimed the presence of the green-jacketed gentlemen with the yellow
vests.

"Goodness me! I'd be scared to death to travel this road by myself," Nan
said, as they rode on. "The frogs make such awful noises."

"But frogs won't hurt you," drawled Tom.

"I know all that," sighed Nan. "But they sound as if they would. There!
That one says, just as plain as plain can be, 'Throw 'im in! Throw 'im
in!"

"Good!" chuckled Tom. "And there's a drunken old rascal calling:
'Jug-er-rum! Jug-er-rum!'!"

A nighthawk, wheeling overhead through the rain, sent down her
discordant cry. Deep in a thicket a whip-poor-will complained. It was
indeed a ghostly chorus that attended their slow progress through the
swamp at Pine Camp.

When they crossed the sawdust tract there was little sign of the fire.
The dead tree had fallen and was just a glowing pile of coals, fast
being quenched by the gently falling rain. For the time, at least, the
danger of a great conflagration was past.

"Oh! I am so glad," announced Nan, impetuously. "I was afraid it was
going to be like that Pale Lick fire."

"What Pale Lick fire?" demanded Tom, quickly. "What do you know about
that?"

"Not much, I guess," admitted his cousin, slowly. "But you used to live
there, didn't you?"

"Rafe and I don't remember anything about it," said Tom, in his quiet
way. "Rafe was a baby and I wasn't much better. Marm saved us both, so
we've been told. She and dad never speak about it."

"Oh! And Indian Pete?" whispered Nan.

"He saved the whole of us--dad and all. He knew a way out through a
slough and across a lake. He had a dug-out. He got badly burned dragging
dad to the boat when he was almost suffocated with smoke," Tom said
soberly.

"'Tisn't anything we talk about much, Nan. Who told you?"

"Oh, it's been hinted to me by various people," said Nan, slowly. "But I
saw Injun Pete, Tom."

"When? He hasn't been to Pine Camp since you came."

Nan told her cousin of her adventure in the hollow near Blackton's
lumber camp. Tom was much excited by that.

"Gracious me, Nan! But you are a plucky girl. Wait till Rafe hears about
it. And marm and dad will praise you for being so level-headed today.
Aren't many girls like you, Nan, I bet!"

"Nor boys like you, Tom," returned the girl, shyly. "How brave you were,
staying to pull that old wagon-wheel out