a word of this to any one. Do not let a soul know that we have
discovered how the fire originated. Let them think we know nothing. And
bear in mind what I told you before: suspect anybody that circumstances
point to, no matter who he is. Now remember! Not a soul outside of the
three of us must know about this. We've got a long trail ahead of us, but
we have at last got a clue. Sooner or later, if we keep our eyes and ears
open and our mouths shut, we'll find the man who set this forest afire."

Chapter IX

Charley Becomes a Fire Patrol

Rapidly the three made their way through the forest. The forester led his
companions up the valley a distance to a fire trail. Along this they
traveled as rapidly as they could have done on a village sidewalk. By
several of these fire trails they made their way through valleys and over
hills, finally reaching the road. The forester's car was there, and an
hour's run brought them to the forester's office at Oakdale.

Charley was intensely interested in everything he saw in this office. On
the wall were huge maps of the forest areas under Mr. Marlin's control.
These maps showed the mountains, big springs, streams, roads, fire trails,
etc., and little tacks with heads of different colors were stuck here and
there in the maps to show where rangers, fire-wardens and game protectors
lived. The telephone was also shown.

Charley was interested to learn that he and Lew had been fully twelve
miles distant from the telephone. It had taken the fire crew, hardy men
experienced in mountain travel, three hours to cover those twelve miles,
even when they had fire trails most of the way. He wondered how much
longer it would have taken them if they had had to travel through the
rough forest. Many hours longer, he was certain. And that meant that it
would have taken one equally as long to get out to the telephone to notify
the forester of the fire. He felt sure there must be many places where one
might be more than twelve miles distant from the telephone; and he
realized more keenly than ever what a big part the wireless could play in
saving the forest. He resolved that he would keep his wireless outfit with
him when he went back into the forest as a fire patrol.

But the maps on the wall were not all that interested Charley. There were
fire-fighting tools of various sorts. There were double-bitted axes and
axes with short handles to be used in one hand. These were of the finest
steel, ver