. It never
entered his head that the brute would really try to have his revenge. Of
course it would have been easy enough to have had him watched off the
place, but Dad didn't even think of it. He knows better now.

"I waked up early next morning hearing someone yelling outside. It was
only just light. I slipped out of my window and ran into the yard, and
the first thing I saw was smoke. It was coming from the west, a great
cloud of it, with plenty of wind to help it along. It was one of those
hot autumn mornings--you know the kind. Make you feel anyhow."

"Who was yelling?" asked Harry.

"One of Morrison's men--he owns the land adjoining ours. This fellow was
coo-eeing for all he was worth.

"'You'd better rouse your men out quick 'n lively,' he sang out.
'There's a big grass fire between us and you. All our chaps are workin'
at it; but I don't fancy they can keep it back in this wind.'

"I just turned and ran.

"The big bell we use for summoning the men to their meals hangs under
the kitchen verandah and I made a bee-line for it. There seemed plenty
of rocks and bits of glass about, and my bare feet got 'em all--at least
I thought so--but there wasn't time to think much. Morrison's chap had
galloped off as soon as he gave his news. I caught hold of the bell-pull
and worked it all I knew!

"You should have seen them tumble out! In about half a minute the place
was like a jumpers' nest that you've stirred up with a stick. Dad came
out of the back door in his pyjamas, Norah came scudding along the
verandah, putting on her kimono as she ran, Brownie and the other
servants appeared at their windows, and the men came tumbling out of the
barracks and the hut like so many rabbits.

"Dad was annoyed.

"'What are you doing, you young donkey?' he sang out.

"'Look over there!' I says, tugging the bell.

"Dad looked. It didn't take him long to see what was up when he spied
that big cloud of smoke.

"'Great Scott!' he shouted. 'Jim, get Billy to run the horses up. Where
are you all? Burrows, Field, Henry! Get out the water-cart--quick. All
of you get ready fire-beaters. Dress yourselves--quickly!' (You could
see that was quite an afterthought on Dad's part.) Then he turned and
fled inside to dress."

"How ripping!" Wally said, wriggling on the log with joy.

"Ripping, do you call it?" said Jim indignantly. "You try it for
yourself, young Wally, and see. Fire's not much of a joke when you're
fighting it yourself,