e a long round to avoid it.

He galloped on still hoping to get there before the flames reached it.
Their property would certainly be destroyed, but he prayed that his
family might make their escape to a place of safety. He seemed to be
getting ahead of the fire, but as he looked every now and then over his
shoulder, he saw it extending as far as the eye could reach, a wall of
leaping flames with a roof of dark smoke. In some places it ran along
the ground out from the forest where the grass was long enough to feed
it, while in others it soon went out for want of fuel. Numbers of the
animals and birds must have perished, and many animals rushed past with
their hair singed, and several birds fell down dead before him. The
ground was uneven and stony, but nothing stopped him, and at last his
hut came in sight. The fire was still nearly a mile from it, but it was
coming on quickly. He found Sarah and the children standing at the
door, much frightened, with the few things of value they had in their
hands.

"Why, Sarah, I should have thought you knew that flour and pork would be
more use to us than those things," he exclaimed with a laugh, which
somewhat took away her fear, "but we may save the hut yet. Bring out
those three reaping-hooks, and all the axes and knives, and all hands
must cut away the grass round the hut. Here come Tom Wells and Sam and
Ben and Bill." A large circle was cut, and the grass was cleared round
all the palings. It was then set on fire, and the flames went hissing
along the ground towards the already burning forest. In this way a
large space was cleared, and Joseph and his sons were able to keep watch
on his own and Mat's hut, and the out-buildings, and to knock out any
sparks as soon as they appeared. In this way, all the pens and other
property on the station was preserved.

This done, they again mounted their horses and galloped off to look
after the cattle which they had reason to fear might have been
frightened by the fire. Their search was long, but they found the whole
herd collected in a stony valley, where there was little grass, and
where the fire had not touched them.

Soon after this, Mr Ramsay arrived, fully expecting to hear of the loss
of sheep and cattle, if not of the huts and pens.

"A diligent servant takes heed of his master's property, and deserves to
be rewarded," he observed.

"I looked after my wife and children first, sir, though," said Joseph.

"I shoul