mp go
down.

There was a crash, and a shriek from Scissors, who had tripped, and
plunged headlong. Paul saw a blaze of light; and he knew that the lamp
had broken, depositing its dangerous fluid all around. Kerosene in these
days is not the same deadly explosive it used to be in other times;
still, it will catch fire under certain conditions; and he saw that
unless prompt measures were taken the church was doomed!

"Be prepared!"

That scout motto never had a better chance of being lived up to than
just at that critical moment, when the oil from the broken lamp began to
take fire in various places.

Paul jumped like a flash toward the pile of blankets, and snatched up
several in his hands. Nor was Jack an instant behind him, only he
happened to seize upon a tent in the excitement of the moment, when
there was certainly no time to change.

Regardless of any injury to the articles they were wielding, both lads
swung at the flames, and beat them furiously. Such prompt action was
sure to meet with its reward, for it would have to be a pretty hot
little conflagration that could stand against such energetic work.

But Scissors was calling out, and beating frantically at his garments,
which seemed to be afire in half a dozen places. It was then that
William, who had just a brief time before been pursuing the imperiled
lad with seeming vindictiveness, proved that there was little of venom
in his heart.

He had dropped his club at the very instant of the accident, and seeing
what Paul and Jack were doing, had hurried over also to possess himself
of a blanket. Instead of whipping this at the creeping flames which the
others promised to take good care of, William turned his attention to
the excited Scissors, who was losing in his fight against the hungry
fire that had seized upon his oil-soaked garments.

And right then and there did the lessons taught to these scouts come
home to William. Not for nothing had he learned what to do in case of a
sudden emergency, whether by water or fire.

Over the head of Scissors he threw that blanket, and then seized the
other in a bear-like hug.

"Keep still!" William was calling, as he hung on grimly; "quit your
kicking, you silly! It's all right, and no great damage done!"

But as Scissors, being blinded by the blanket, could not see that Paul
and his chum had beaten the fire out, and in imagination he felt it
still eating into his tender skin, he continued to struggle and try to