Bill lost no time in getting back into the pilot’s seat. He caught the
plane as it was falling off onto one wing. By skillful manipulation of
the controls, he changed the movement into a nose dive. He knew that
they were now safe. A short drop and they would regain flying speed.
The plane went down into the dive, gradually picking up speed, and
soon Bill pulled it out into a level position and they were flying
along normally. Once more they were headed toward Glenbrook, where
they could check their radio.
They hopped over a few timber-covered foothills and the town of
Glenbrook came into view. It was not much of a town, but a branch line
of the railroad followed a small stream and terminated there. The
forest headquarters was easily picked out on account of the panel
already stretched out on the ground. Earl had started sending with the
radio as soon as Bill had regained control of the plane. Bill picked
up the O. K. panel and dipped his plane in greeting to the amateur
operator who he knew would be watching from below.
Bill knew that the radio operator would immediately send word to the
foresters waiting at Elam and Adler that the plane was on its way. He
turned his plane to skirt Buck Peak and then crossed Beaver Creek.
Here he saw the first of the fires, which were still burning and which
circumstantial evidence indicated had been lighted by the firebug.
Beaver Creek had proved too great a natural barrier for the fire to
cross. To the south and southwest there was nothing to check its path,
and it had spread rapidly in that direction. The fight made by the
crew on the ground to bar its progress was clearly shown from the
scene of desolation extending below them.
The fire had evidently started on a comparatively narrow front. Then
the strong wind had spread it out over a broad area. The fire crew had
attempted to stop it along the crest of a ridge, and had almost
succeeded, for the width was appreciably narrowed down to almost a
point. Then on account of the lack of men, or for some other reason,
the fire had surged through that narrow opening and spread to an even
wider area than before. From the viewpoint of the airmen, it looked as
if that fire had almost been guided by human hands.
Sensing that it was hemmed in on all sides, the fire had taken
advantage of that one small unguarded strip and had broken through
with an irresistible rush, burning fiercer than ever. Bill and Earl
could see the crew working ahead of the fire. These men were
backfiring, making fire breaks, standing by natural barriers and doing
everything humanly possible to vanquish that fire monster. Forest
fires always left an indelible impression on Bill’s mind. They seemed
to him to be magnificent and awe-inspiring on account of their
relentlessness and the apparent unlimited power, but at the same time
they were terrifying as he saw the area of complete destruction which
followed in their wake. Thus, in a few minutes’ time, timber which had
taken hundreds of years to mature was completely effaced,
deliberately, or through carelessness by the hand of man.
Bill did not pause in his flight on account of the fire, but traveled
along at his hundred-mile an hour pace. He picked up a second and then
a third fire. He thought that the third fire might be the one near
which they would find the firebug and looked around at Earl for
instructions. Earl waved him on.
Off to their left was Mary’s Peak. Somewhere along the road which led
down its sides the forest men were waiting. Bill was about to head
that way in an endeavor to locate them when he saw a small smoke
coming up through the timber almost directly ahead of them. He pointed
the nose of the plane down and headed straight for that smoke.
Gradually losing altitude, as his plane thundered along at an ever
increasing speed, he was barely skimming the tree tops when he reached
a point directly over the smoke.
He passed over that fire at a speed far too great to pick up any
details on the ground, but Bill did get a fleeting glimpse of a road
which ran close by the fire. He had come down so low that the radio
antennae wire was torn off by the tree tops. In his anxiety to get to
that fire as soon as possible, he had forgotten all about the
antennae. From now on the radio was useless. All messages would have
to be dropped.
Bill pulled his plane up into a reversement and was back over the fire
almost immediately, but traveling at a much lower speed. He saw a man
running through the underbrush in a cut-over area not more than fifty
yards from the fire. It was up to him now to keep that man in sight
until help arrived on the ground. Bill looked at Earl and knew by
Earl’s smile that he, too, had seen the man. The mere fact that he was
that close to the fire and was running when seen was sufficient in
Bill’s mind to brand him as the man who had started the fire.
Another circle and they lost the suspect. Bill made a wider circle,
always keeping the road on both sides of the fire in sight. Sooner or
later the firebug must come out on the road to get away from the
burning timber. Then Bill saw an automobile standing alongside the
road several hundred yards from the fire. He flew slowly and low over
the car and obtained sufficient data regarding it to enable him to
write a good description of the auto.
Bill again circled the car and wrote: “Brown roadster on mountain road
running southeast from Adler. Hold the driver. Roadster now headed
toward Adler. Will keep you advised as to its location. Bruce.” He
handed this note back to Earl.
The forester took the note and read it. He nodded his O. K. and Bill
headed the plane toward Adler. If the foresters on the ground were at
Adler, everything would be fine, but if they had gone up the mountain
toward Elam, things might not work out so well. Just then Bill turned
around and saw the firebug climb into his car and start down the
mountain road.
Adler came into view after a few minutes’ flying. It was a small
village, and standing in the middle of the street was an automobile.
Bill flew low over the scattered houses and caught a glimpse of
several men standing by the car. These men stretched out a white sheet
on the ground. There was no doubt now but that they were the
foresters. Bill made a quick turn and dropped back right over the car.
When they had almost reached a point over the car, Earl stood up in
the cockpit and threw a message overboard. He had tied a piece of
cloth and a stone to the message. The stone tended to make it drop
straight downward and the streamer to make it visible from the ground.
Earl, however, had misjudged the speed of the plane and the message
dropped onto the roof of a nearby house.
Bill was almost frantic. Suppose that the firebug should run through
the town while the foresters were climbing up to the roof to get that
message. Something must be done at once. Bill made another circle and
Earl tapped him on the back. Simmons was writing another message. When
the message was completed, Bill made another dip over the car. As he
passed, he saw a man on the roof of the house searching for the first
message. The second one dropped at the feet of the men by the auto.
While making a circle to see if they understood, Bill saw the other
men jump into their car and start off toward the mountain road,
leaving one of their number still on the roof of the house.
Bill headed his plane for the nearest point on that mountain road. He
caught a glimpse of the brown roadster turning off the road into what
seemed to be a deserted homestead. Bill then made wide circles around
the deserted buildings so as to give the impression that he had not
seen the firebug turn off the road.
The firebug stopped his car and ran around the first building, which
appeared to be an old barn. He then disappeared from view on the other
side. There was no way now of telling where he had gone. He might be
in the old barn or he might have gone into the underbrush beyond. Bill
continued his wide circles and wrote another message to the pursuers
on the ground. It read: “Search abandoned homestead over which I will
circle. Bruce.”
Earl received this message and, after reading it, nodded his approval.
Bill continued his circling so that he could watch both the road and
the building. The foresters’ car came into view, tearing up the
mountain road. Bill flew low to attract its attention and then, when
it had stopped, Earl again demonstrated his ability as an aerial
marksman by dropping the weighted message into the edge of the woods
alongside the car. Bill did not wait to see if they picked it up, for
he did not want to lose track of that brown roadster.
He circled around over the old homestead. The car was still there, but
there was no sign of the firebug. He might by this time be in any one
of the three buildings or be in the woods a good distance away. Bill
tried to catch a glimpse of anything moving under the thick trees, but
came to the conclusion that if he did, it would be by the merest
chance.
The foresters came up the road and stopped at the entrance to the
deserted clearing. Four men jumped from the car and started toward the
brown car. One of them stayed by the roadster while the others began a
search of the buildings. I saw one of them enter the old barn and
wondered if the firebug was armed. If he was and started shooting, he
might get away before the foresters could surround him.
The time passed mighty slowly for Earl and Bill as they watched the
developments from their aerial grand-stand seats. Neither one could
get any idea of what was happening on the ground. The only one of the
foresters whom they could see was doing something to the roadster,
just what, neither one could make out. The others were still in the
buildings. Both Earl and Bill were eager to be of some active
assistance, but realized that it was impossible.
Just then they saw two of the foresters run toward the old barn.
Evidently things were coming to a climax. The man by the car stopped
his work and watched the old building. A cloud of smoke shot out of
the roof of the barn. The firebug was true to form even when cornered:
he had set fire to the old barn as a last resort. He hoped to escape
under cover of the smoke and excitement when the fire started burning.
His ruse failed, for in a few minutes Bill saw four men emerge from
the rapidly burning building. As they came out into the open some
distance from the burning building, they stopped to make their captive
fast to a nearby log and then the foresters returned to prevent the
spread of the fire from the burning building.
Bill flew low over the tree tops. He wanted to get a look at this
demon who had deliberately fired the woods. As he flashed by, the
firebug raised his head and shook his fist at the plane. One glimpse
was sufficient for Bill to establish the identity of this criminal.
His old enemy, Andre, was again in the hands of the law. The forest
fire season in Oregon was over.