had disappeared, and he was helpless.

At first Derrick thought he would carry him, and made the attempt; but
his strength was not equal to the task, and he was forced to set his
burden down after taking a few steps towards the door.

He called loudly to the last of the boys, who was just disappearing
through the door-way, to come and help him. At the call the boy turned
his face towards them. It was that of Bill Tooley, and it bore a grin of
malicious triumph.

The next instant the great door swung to with a crash that sounded like
a knell in the ears of Derrick Sterling, for he knew that it closed with
a powerful spring lock, the key of which was in Mr. Guffy's pocket.

The crash of the closing door was followed by a second burst of flame
that came rushing and leaping up the chutes, and above its roar the boys
heard shrill voices in the village crying, "Fire! Fire in the breaker!"

CHAPTER II

A FEARFUL RIDE

As Derrick and Paul realized that they were left alone in the burning
breaker, in which the heat was now intense, and that they were cut off
from the stairway by the closed and bolted door, they remained for a
moment speechless with despair. Then Derrick flung himself furiously
against the heavy door again and again, with a vague hope that he might
thus force it to give way. His efforts were of no avail, and he only
exhausted his strength; for the massive framework did not even tremble
beneath the weight of his body.

Still he could not believe but that somebody would open it for them, and
he would not leave the door until tiny flames creeping beneath it warned
him that the stairway was on fire and that all chances of escape in that
direction were gone. He tried to make himself seen and heard at one of
the open windows, but was driven back by the swirling smoke. Then he
turned to Paul, who still sat quietly where he had been left. The
crippled lad had not uttered a single cry of fear, though the eager
flames had approached him so closely that he could feel their hot
breath, and knew that in another minute the place where he sat would be
surrounded by them.

As Derrick sprang to his side, with the intention of dragging him as far
as possible from them, he said,

"The slope, Derrick! If we could only get to the top of the slope,
couldn't we somehow escape by it?"

"I never thought of it!" cried Derrick. "We might. We'll try anyhow, for
if we stay here another minute we shall be roasted to deat