e seemed to know pretty well where it was."

Wilbur tried to explain the story of the fire, but his tale soon became
incoherent, and before they had ridden another half a mile, his story
had died down to a few mutterings and he was asleep again. The old
hunter rode beside him, his hand ready to catch him should he waver in
the saddle, but Kit loped along at her easiest gait and the boy scarcely
moved. Rifle-Eye woke him again when they left the trail and broke into
the forest.

"I reckon you better wake up, son," he said, "landin' suddenly on your
head on a rock is some abrupt as an alarm clock."

Wilbur dropped the reins to stretch himself.

"I feel a lot better now," he announced, "just as good as ever. Except
for my hands," he added ruefully, as returning wakefulness brought back
with it the consciousness of smart and hurt, "and my feet are mighty
sore, too. We're right near the fire, too, aren't we," he continued.
"Gee, that was nifty sleeping nearly all the way. I guess I must have
felt you were around, Rifle-Eye, and so I slept easily, knowing it would
come out all right with you here."

"I ain't never been famous for hypnotizin' any forest fire that I've
heard of," said the old hunter, smiling, "but I've got a lurkin' idea
somewhere that we'll get this headed off all right. An' in any case,
there ain't much folks livin' in the path of the fire, if the wind keeps
the way she is now."

Wilbur thought for a moment over the lay of the land and the direction
in which the flames were moving.

"There's the mill," he said suddenly and excitedly.

"Yes, son," said the old hunter. "I'd been thinkin' of that. There's the
mill."

[Illustration: "THAT'S ONE PAINTER LESS, ANYHOW!"

Shooting the mountain lion; a frequent incident in the daily life of a
Ranger.

_Photograph by U. S. Forest Service._]

[Illustration: "SMOKE! AND HOW AM I GOING TO GET THERE?"

Ranger forced to make a breakneck dash through wild and unknown country
to fight forest fire.

_Photograph by U. S. Forest Service._]

CHAPTER XVI

IN THE MIDST OF A SEA OF FIRE

A subdued but fiery inspiration, as of some monster breathing deeply in
the darkness, gradually made itself heard above the voices of the night,
and an eddying gust brought from the distance the sound of twigs and
branches crackling as they burned. As yet the fire was not visible, save
for the red-bronze glow seen through the trees reflected on the sky
above. But b