University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XI.
THE MOTORCYCLE BOYS' FIRE BRIGADE.

ALL. weariness was forgotten now. They pushed the heavy motorcycles up the balance of the rise with a vim; and upon reaching the top, panting for breath, looked in the direction where the smoke was still coming up.

"It's a cabin, or something, afire, that's dead sure!" cried Hanky Panky as soon as he could catch his breath enough to speak at all.

"Sure it is," echoed Josh; "and say, Rod, we ought to get there in doubl -quick time, to lend a hand. P'raps we might help put her out."

"But look at the rotten road, would you?" said Rooster, in dismay; and only a glance was needed to tell the others that riding just there was utterly out of the question.

"We'd better make a run for it, boys," announced Rod, a few seconds later.

"D'ye mean we'll leave our machines on the road here?" asked Josh, as though the idea did not appeal wholly to him, after seeing how near Hanky Panky had come to losing his motorcycle.

"Yes," replied Rod, as he dropped his, not even taking the trouble to use the convenient stand; "and Rooster, you stay by them. You were just complaining about a pain in your side; so of course you couldn't run much. Come along, the rest of you!"

Even had he wanted to do so, Rooster could not have entered a protest, for they were gone before he could frame his thoughts into words. And so making the best of a bad bargain, he dragged a couple of the machines out of the road, so that they might not obstruct the highway, in case any vehicle came along, of which there was very little chance. Then Rooster stretched his long neck, and tried to make out the nature of the happening just beyond the bend of the road.

Meanwhile the others had gone on as fast as they could, considering their winded condition at the time. The shouts grew in volume, too, and they could judge from the character of the cries that

there must be considerable of excitement around the scene of the fire, whatever, it might be that was burning.

A few minutes later, and they had arrived close enough to learn that it was a stable that was on fire; but as it connected with the cabin of the mountaineer, the chances were that the entire affair was bound to go up in flames.

There must have been some little hay in the ram-shackle stable, to judge from the dense smoke that hung over the scene, and which must have smarted the eyes of the fire fighters considerably.

Rod saw that these consisted of a couple of half-grown children, and a woman, together with a negro man who appeared so frightened that he was of little use. They were trying to dash water on the burning building, but used so little judgment in emptying their buckets in places where the Flames had secured a good hold, instead of trying to concentrate on spots just ahead, that it looked as though their efforts were worse than useless.

"Get busy, fellows!" shouted Rod, as he and the other three boys reached the scene. "Find anything you can, to carry water in, and let me dash it on systematically. That's the only way to fight fire -- kill it piece by piece!"

"Whoopee! we're the boss firemen!" cried Josh, as he took a bucket from the unresisting hands of a

little girl who had been tugging it along, filled with water from the creek which ran close by.

All of them entered into the spirit of the work with a zest, and the way those buckets and tinpans flew back and forth from the creek to the burning building was well worth seeing. For the time being the excited boys entirely forgot that they had been complaining of being tired. Why, they made a dozen journeys between the source of water supply and the fire without once stopping. And there was Rod, standing in the breach, ready to pour the contents of each receptacle in a certain spot, where it would do the most good.

At first they had an uphill fight, for the flames had obtained a firm hold, owing to a little wind that was blowing, and the futile efforts of the family to stay them; but presently the work of the newcomers began to tell, for while smoke kept coming up just as densely as ever, less was seen of those hungry red tongues of fire.

And then, the coming of assistance, while it had startled the natives at first, soon began to put new courage in their hearts. They found other means of conveying water, in sundry vessels of a queer character, even to jugs that may have once held illicit liquor; and these being emptied into an old tub within reach of Rod, he had a new means at hand for fighting the flames.

"Get busy, uncle!" cried Josh, to the old darky,

who was trotting about as if he had lost his head; "find some sort of thing that'll hold water, and help to fill that tub over there."

Thus urged, the old fellow began to search for some vessel not otherwise employed, and the last Josh saw of him he had alighted on a dilapidated tin pail, the rusty bottom of which gaped with holes. This he carefully filled at the creek, and then headed for the house, with half a dozen streams trickling after him. And by the time he arrived at his destination it was a scanty allowance that followed the upheaval of the cast-off pail. But he must have considered that he was doing his very best, for he cheerfully hobbled back again to the creek, and proceeded to make another attempt.

Elmer worked with Josh and Hanky Panky, fetching the water, so that Rod could stay the progress of the flames. He had so far paid little attention to the family that was in danger of having their humble cabin home burned to the ground, and which must certainly have had this fate come upon it, but for the fortunate coming of the motorcycle boys.

The half-grown boy was a hunchback, but he labored as hard as anybody, and his pinched face seemed to be filled with an eager anxiety concerning the fate of his home. He had a large bucket for one of his size to "tote," but getting it on his arm by the bale, he would stagger along, grimly determined

that he must not be found wanting in this grave emergency.

Rod noticed this fact, and when Josh came up again he called out to him:

"Change buckets with that hunchback boy when you meet him coming, Josh; you're better able to handle that big bucket than he is, and your's seems more of his size."

"Sure thing," was all the willing one said; and as he met the boy he took the large tin bucket from him, thrusting his smaller receptacle into his unwilling hands.

All this was, as Hanky Panky put it, "just pie," to the four chums. They worked along as cheerfully as though engaged in a most delightful pursuit; indeed, had it been a warm game of baseball, they could hardly have entered into it with more zest than they were now displaying.

Possibly some of them had seen fires fought by the volunteers of Garland, and in that way imbibed lessons that were apt to be of value to them under such conditions as these. But no matter, they were brim full of grit and determination; and if water, and then more water, could conquer the flames, they meant to supply it as long as they were able to go back and forth, and that friendly creek did not go dry.

Rod chanced to be idle for a dozen seconds. He had emptied the tub, and those who were fetching

further supplies were all on the way to the creek, or else just starting toward him.

He had sized up the fire well enough by this time to know just what his plan of campaign must continue to be; for it was beginning to tell plainly by now. Hence he allowed himself to glance toward those whom the coming of the four motorcycle chums had helped.

The woman was tall and thin, as pretty much all the poor whites in the mountain sections of the South seem to be, so that a fat man or woman is rarely met with.

She had been working as hard as any one, carrying water, but just then seemed to have been seized with a sudden thought; for Rod saw her clutch hold of the girl, and say something to her, while her thin face worked with emotion.

There, she was pointing straight at him now, and asking still more questions of the girl, who continued to shake her tousled head in the negative.

Rod was filled with curiosity, and also wonder. What could the woman have suddenly thought of? Was it possible that her old man might be one of those moonshiners Elmer had been telling them about; and for the first time noticing the leggins the motorcycle boys wore, they had given her a terrible start, since she must connect them in some way with the soldiers of Uncle Sam, who may at some time in the past have been sent into these same

mountains to back up a raid of the United States Marshal, when endeavoring to arrest a gang of moonshiners.

But now she had started toward him, and Rod knew that he would not be long kept in the dark concerning the motive that actuated her.

Hanky Panky came hurrying up, with another bucket of water, seizing which Rod sent the contents over the side of the cabin where the fire was trying its best to get a hold.

Elmer was hurrying along, just behind the mountain woman. She stopped, and turned upon him, saying something that appeared to give the boy a start. More than ever was Rod interested; and vainly he tried to conjecture what had happened to arouse this new excitement on the part of the mountaineer's wife. Was she afraid her ugly-tempered "man" would come home, and find these strangers there?

But Elmer pointed toward the cabin, as though that might contain the cause of her agitation. He came hurrying toward Rod, the woman following back of him, wringing her hands, while the little girl trailed along in the rear, crying wildly.

Rod took the bucket from his chum, and shot its contents on the cabin wall.

"What's it all about, Elmer?" he demanded, as he started to hand the empty vessel back again.

"Why, d'ye know, she says she's afraid there's

an old man still in there," began Elmer, looking distressed as he surveyed the smoke-filled cabin interior.

"What's that, an old man you say?" echoed Rod, himself glancing in dismay at the open doorway, through which volumes of smoke poured.

"Yes, she calls him Daddy, and I reckon now he must be her man's father, because she says he'll be crazy if anything happens to the old fellow. They thought he'd got out, and in the excitement she clean forgot all about him till just now, when the girl asked if she'd seen him. He's a cripple, you know, and must have been overpowered by the smoke. What can we do, Rod?"

"Do?" echoed the other; "there's only one thing for you and me to try, Elmer; and that's to dash inside, and find him. Here, wet this handkerchief and tie it around my mouth; I'll do the same for you, and then let's get busy!"