of exultation, for he
had been down in the depths of despair, and the sight of his lissome
lassie still in the land of the living acted like a spur upon him--he
stretched out his arms in the direction of those upon the roof, and
again endeavored to hasten toward them, only to fall over once more
helpless upon the ground.

Then Cuthbert awoke to the fact that while his chum had done a bold
thing, and for the moment cheated the flames of their intended
sacrifice, he was not yet safe, for all around the flashing tongues of
fire gathered for a last effort at accomplishing the dread work, so
that the twain above seemed hemmed in.

So Cuthbert shouted to those who carried the hose, and forced them to
turn the stream of water upon one spot where the fire was weakest;
rushing at those who were staggering forward bearing the ladder, he
seized hold of the blessed thing and urged them to raise it against the
wall at that particular point.

CHAPTER XXII.

CONCLUSION.

Eli was determined to be in the game, too, and while his chum was thus
engaged in creating a chance for the escape of the two upon the roof,
the boy from the timber region hustled several men forward, bearing
armfuls of pelts that others had just drawn from the lower floor of the
house--they were especially costly skins, and the lot might be worth a
duke's ransom; but at the moment, with those two precious lives in
peril, to the anxious factor they were as dross, and he would only too
willingly have stood the loss of the whole kit could he by this means
have saved the one so dear to his old heart.

With these Eli meant to fashion some sort of buffer, that would break
the fall should the couple above find themselves compelled to jump; and
it was a splendid scheme to be formed on the spur of that dreadful
moment, one that Cuthbert never could forget, or cease to praise.

Meanwhile, he was pretty busily employed at his own affair, placing the
ladder against the building, and directing those who had held the hose
to keep the stream of water chasing up and down that particular quarter.

Owen could not see everything that was being tried; but he knew fairly
well what they intended he should do, and once assured of the presence
of the ladder, he did not hesitate about using the same.

What if the fiery fingers did snatch after him as if furious at being
cheated of their prey--the blessed stream of water, cold with the frosty
breath of the approaching winte