this year, and
Mary observed that she foresaw they were coming on, as the sky wore
every appearance of wind; yet still there was but a light air, and
hardly perceptible at the time. In a moment after they had gone out,
and were taking up their pails, Strawberry came to them from her own
lodge, and they pointed to the gloom and haze in the air. She turned
round, as if to catch the wind, and snuffed for a little while; at last
she said, "Great fire in the woods." Alfred and the others soon joined
them, and having been rallied by Emma at their being so late, they also
observed the unusual appearance of the sky. Martin corroborated the
assertion of the Strawberry, that there was fire in the woods. Malachi
and John had not returned that night from a hunting expedition, but
shortly after daylight they made their appearance; they had seen the
fire in the distance, and said that it was to northward and eastward,
and extended many miles; that they had been induced to leave the chase
and come home in consequence. During the remainder of the day, there
was little or no wind, but the gloom and smell of fire increased
rapidly. At night the breeze sprang up, and soon increased to a gale
from the north-east, the direction in which the fire had been seen.
Malachi and Martin were up several times in the night, for they knew
that if the wind continued in that quarter, without any rain, there
would be danger; still the fire was at a great distance; but in the
morning the wind blew almost a hurricane, and before twelve o'clock on
the next day, the smoke was borne down upon them, and carried away in
masses over the lake.

"Do you think there is any danger, Martin, from this fire?" said Alfred.

"Why, sir, that depends upon circumstances; if the wind were to blow
from the quarter which it now does, as hard as it does, for another
twenty-four hours, we should have the fire right down upon us."

"But still we have so much clear land between the forest and us, that I
should think the house would be safe."

"I don't know that, sir. You have never seen the woods afire for miles
as I have; if you had, you would know what it was. We have two chances;
one is, that we may have torrents of rain come down with the gale, and
the other is that the wind may shift a point or two, which would be the
best chance for us of the two."

But the wind did not shift, and the rain did not descend, and before the
evening set in the fire was within two