Thad could think of. But
all the same the fat boy fought, tooth and nail, at the spreading fire.
He had on his shoes, as had the others, so that he could jump on the
creeping flames when all else failed; and using an extra piece of canvas
that sometimes had done duty as a tent floor, Bumpus sailed into the
fray like a hurricane.

Indeed, they were all as busy as beavers for a short time. Every scout
seemed to feel that it would be a lasting disgrace on the name of the
Silver Fox Patrol if that fire got away into the woods. They had assumed
the responsibilities of assistant fire wardens; and it would be a sorry
joke indeed if, instead of putting out a conflagration they themselves
were the cause of one that swept the whole adjacent territory.

"Give it thunder!" shouted Giraffe, as he threshed wildly at every head
of fire he could see near his boundary of action.

"Hit him again, boys!" shrilled Bumpus, as he continued to do his great
act of working with both hands and feet at the same time, all serving to
quench the threatening flames.

But Step Hen and Davy were strangely silent, though they worked as hard
as any one. They knew that they were to blame for all the trouble; for
they had slept on their post, and with this sad result.

Finally success came to the hard working scouts, and their allies, the
two guides. The fire was completely routed, bag and baggage, before it
managed to get a good foothold in the dry woods. And perspiring as
though it were the good old summer time, the boys hastened to get more
clothes on them, for fear of catching cold.

The fire was resurrected, and they sat down to have a powwow.

"Oh! you needn't all look at us that way," grunted Step Hen. "We're
guilty, all right. Knock us all you want to, because I just guess now we
deserve it. But we never meant to go to sleep there by the fire, did we,
Davy?"

"Well, I should say not," replied the other culprit, looking quite
dejected. "We kept atellin' each other that we mustn't sleep right
along; and then to think that after all we did drop off, and both
together."

"First thing I remember," said Step Hen, as if resolved, after pleading
guilty, to open up, and throw himself on the mercy of the court; "I
heard a queer crackling noise, and openin' my eyes, my stars! the whole
world seemed like it was afire. I gave Davy a punch in the side, and
then jumped for it. We thought at first we could get her under control;
then I saw it was no go,