take to the hills back of the ranch.
We'll come through all right. Tell Mother not to worry.

"What's that----?"

Helen repeated the question, then looked blankly at Janet.

"See if you can hear him," she urged and Janet took the receiver.

"Hello, Mr. Thorne," she said. But there was no answer. She repeated the
question and this time when there was no answer mechanically hung up the
receiver.

"The line's dead," she told Helen. "The fire must have brought down the
poles."

The girls stared hard at each other through smoke-rimmed eyes. The
telephone had given them a sense of security, a feeling of contact with
the outside world. Now they were cut off with the flames behind them and
only the rugged hills ahead.

Chapter Nine

THE FIRE SWEEPS ON

When Janet and Helen returned to the spacious ranch yard, they found the
men in the company gathered in a council of war near the bus. They were
debating whether to risk remaining at the ranch or attempt to push on
into the hills and onto higher ground.

Billy Fenstow felt the ranch would be safe and was loath to attempt to
go any further, but Curt Newsom, who had been watching the shifting
clouds of crimson, was wary.

"A little more and the wind will shift enough to bring the fire down
into this valley. Once it's here it will travel like a race horse and
we'll never reach safety," he warned.

The director pointed to several heavy steel containers which held the
last of the shots for "Water Hole."

"Who's going to lug those through the hills?" he demanded.

"We could take turns," retorted Curt. "Here's a better one. Are those
cans watertight?" He shot the question at one of the cameramen.

"They're safe enough, all right," he replied.

"Then let's fasten wires to the handles and lower them into the well
here. If we have to run for it, we'll not be bothered with these heavy
containers and we'll know the last shots are safe."

Billy Fenstow agreed that Curt's suggestion was an excellent one and
they scattered in search of a coil of wire. One was found near the
bunkhouse. It was fastened to one of the containers and the heavy steel
receptacle was lowered into the well. The wire was cut and the upper end
securely fastened to a timber. Then the operation was repeated, the
second can being lowered until it reached the bottom of the well. Curt
snipped the wire with a pair of pliers and fastened the end with the
first one.

Janet had been watching the sk