d cast upon them a clear and
brilliant illumination, which was strongly contrasted with the dark
depths of the forest behind them.

The children were silent, and stood still for a few minutes, gazing on
the scene with feelings of admiration and awe. They expected to have
capered about and laughed, but they found that they had no disposition
to do so. The enjoyment they felt was not of that kind which leads
children to caper and laugh. They stood still, and looked silently and
soberly on the flashing flames, the lurid light, the bright red
reflections on the woods, the banks, and the water,--and on the volumes
of glowing smoke and sparks which ascended to the sky.

Before long, however, the light fuel upon the top of the piles was
burned up, and there remained great glowing heaps of embers, and logs
of wood still flaming. These the boys began to poke about with long
poles that Jonas had cut for them, to make them burn brighter, and to
see the sparks go up. Presently they heard their father calling them.

The boys all stopped to listen.

"We are going home," said he; "we shall take cold if we stand still
here. You may stay, however, with Jonas, only you must not sit down."

So Rollo's father and mother turned away, and walked along back towards
the house, the light shining more and more faintly upon them, until they
were lost among the trees.

"Why do you suppose we must not sit down?" said Lucy.

"Because," said Jonas, "they are afraid you will take cold. As long as
you run about and play around the fires, you keep warm."

"O, then we will run about and play fast enough," said James. "I know
what I am going to do."

So he took a large flat piece of hemlock bark, which he found upon the
ground, and began tearing off strips of birch bark from the old tree,
and piling them upon it.

"What are you going to do?" said Lucy.

"O, I am going to play steam-boat on fire," said he; and he took up the
piece of bark with the little pile of combustibles upon it, and carried
it down to the edge of the brook. Then he went back and got his torch
stick, and put a fresh piece of birch bark in the split end, and lighted
it, and then came back to the brook, walking slowly lest his torch
should go out.

Lucy held his torch for him while he gently put his steam-boat on the
water; and then he lighted it with his torch, and pushed it out. It
floated down, all blazing as it was, to the great delight of the three
children, and aston