FIGHTING A FOREST FIRE.
Although the day of the picnic was warm and pleasant, a strong breeze
from the southward had been blowing since early morning, and during the
afternoon it increased to a high wind. As the Elmers rode home after
the last of the happy picnickers had departed, they noticed a heavy
cloud of smoke in the southern sky, and Mr. Elmer asked Mr. March what
he thought it was.
"It looks as though some of the settlers down there were burning grass,
though they ought to know better than to start fires on a day like
this," answered Mr. March.
"But what do they do it for?" asked Mr. Elmer.
"So as to burn off the old dead grass, and give their cattle a chance
to get at that which immediately springs up wherever the fire has
passed. But the practice ought to be stopped by law, for more timber
and fences, and sometimes houses, are destroyed every year than all the
cattle in the country are worth."
"Well, I hope it won't come our way tonight," said Mr. Elmer, "and
first thing in the morning I will set the men to work clearing and
ploughing a wide strip entirely around the place. Then we may have some
chance of successfully fighting this new enemy."
Instead of dying out at sunset, as it usually did, the wind increased
to a gale as darkness set in, and Mr. Elmer cast many troubled glances
at the dull red glow in the southern sky before he retired that night.
Mark and Frank occupied the same room, for Mr. March had not yet found
time to build a house, and it seemed to them as though they had but
just fallen asleep when they were aroused by Mr. Elmer's voice calling
through the house,
"Wake up! Everybody dress and come downstairs as quickly as you can.
Mark! Frank! Hurry, boys!"
"What is it, father?" asked Mark, as he tumbled down-stairs and burst
into the sitting-room only about half dressed, but rapidly completing
the operation as he ran. "What's the matter? Is the house on fire?"
"No, my boy, not yet, but it's likely to be very soon if we are not
quick in trying to save it. The piney woods to the south of us are all
in a blaze, and this gale's driving it towards us at a fearful rate. I
want you and Frank to go as quickly as you can across the river and
rouse up every soul in the village. Get every team and plough in
Wakulla, and bring them over, together with every man and boy who can
handle an axe."
Mr. Elmer had hardly finished before both boys were out of the house
and running towards the river. Although it was still several miles off,
they could already hear the roar of the flames rising above that of the
wind, and could smell the smoke of the burning forest.
They were soon across the river, and while Mark ran to the houses of
Mr. Bevil and Mr. Carter to waken those gentlemen, Frank bethought
himself of the church-bell, which hung from a rude frame outside the
building, and hurrying to it, seized the rope and began to pull it
violently.
The effect of the loud clanging of the bell was almost instantaneous,
and the colored people began pouring from their tumble-down old houses,
and hurrying towards the church to see what was the matter. Many of
them in their haste came just as they had jumped from their beds; but
the darkness of the night and their own color combined to hide the fact
that they were not fully dressed, until some light-wood torches were
brought, when there was a sudden scattering among them.
Frank quickly explained the cause of the alarm, and the men hurried off
to get their teams, ploughs, and axes; for Mr. Elmer had been so kind
to them that all were anxious to do what they could to help him in this
time of trouble.
Among the first boat-load that Frank ferried across the river was Black
Joe, with his "ok" attached to a very small plough, with which he felt
confident he could render most valuable assistance.
By the light of the approaching flames surrounding objects could
already be distinguished, and as they hurried up to the house the first
comers found Mr. Elmer, Mr. March, and Jan hard at work. They were
clearing brush and hauling logs away from the immediate vicinity of the
out-buildings, and had got quite a space ready in which the ploughs
could be set to work.
In the house Mrs. Elmer, Ruth, and Aunt Chloe had collected all the
carpets, blankets, and woollen goods they could lay their hands on, and
piled them near the cistern, where they could be quickly soaked with
water, and placed over exposed portions of the walls or roof. They were
now busy packing up clothing and lighter articles of furniture, ready
for instant removal.
As fast as the teams and ploughs arrived, Mr. Elmer set them to work
ploughing long furrows through the dry grass about a rod outside the
line of fence nearest the approaching flames. Inside this line he and
Mr. March set the grass on fire in many places. They could easily check
these small fires as they reached the fence by beating them out with
cedar boughs.
Meantime the flames came roaring and rushing on, leaping from tree to
tree, and fanned into fury by the fierce wind. Above them hundreds of
birds fluttered and circled with shrill cries of distress, until,
bewildered by the smoke and glare, they fell, helpless victims, into
the terrible furnace.
Wild animals of all kinds, among which were a small herd of deer,
dashed out of the woods ahead of the fire, and fled across the open
field unmolested by the men, who were too busy to give them a thought.
In his zeal to do his utmost, and to show what a splendid animal he
had, Black Joe was ploughing far ahead of the others, when suddenly he
saw rushing from the forest, and coming directly towards him, a bear.
Terror-stricken at this sight, and without stopping to reflect that the
bear was himself too frightened to harm anybody just then, Joe dropped
the plough-handles and ran, leaving his beloved ox to its fate. The ox
thus left to himself tried to run, too, but the plough became caught on
a small tree and held it fast.
As the flames approached, the poor animal bellowed with fear and pain,
and struggled wildly, but unsuccessfully, to get free. It would have
certainly fallen a victim to the flames had not Mark, who had been busy
lighting back-fires, seen its danger and ran to its rescue. Cutting the
rope traces with his pocket-knife, he set the ox free; and following
the example of its master, it galloped clumsily across the open field.
The ox fled with such a bellowing and such a jangling of chains that
poor Joe, who was hidden behind a great stump on the farther side of
the field, was nearly frightened out of his few remaining senses when
he saw this terrible monster charging out the fire and directly upon
him. He threw himself flat on the ground, screaming "g'way fum yere!
g'way fum yere! Luff dis po' niggah be; he ain't a-doin' nuffin."
Afterwards he was never known to speak of this adventure but once, when
he said,
"I allus knowed dat ar ok was somfin better'n common; but when I see
him come a-rarin' an' a-tarin', an' a-janglin' right fo' me, I 'lowed
'twas ole Nick hise'f come fo' Black Joe, sho nuff."
As the other ploughmen were driven from their work by the heat and the
swirling smoke, they set back-fires all along the line, and retreated
in good order to the house. Here, although the heat was intense and the
smoke almost suffocating, they made a stand. Mrs. Elmer and Ruth had
already taken refuge on the ferry-boat, from which they watched the
progress of the flames with the most intense anxiety.
Under Mr. Elmer's direction the men covered the walls and roof of the
house, which had already caught fire in several places, with wet
blankets and carpets, and poured buckets of water over them. From these
such volumes of steam arose that poor Ruth, seeing it from a distance,
thought the house was surely on fire, and burst into tears.
So busy were all hands in saving the house that they paid no attention
to the out-buildings, until Aunt Chloe, who had been working with the
best of the men, screamed, "Oh, de chickuns! de chickuns!"
Looking towards the hen-house, they saw its roof in a bright blaze, and
Aunt Chloe running in that direction with an axe in her hand. The old
woman struck several powerful blows against the side of the slight
building, and broke in two boards before the heat drove her away.
Through this opening several of the poor fowls escaped; but most of
them were miserably roasted, feathers and all.
This was the last effort of the fire in this direction, for the portion
of it that met the cleared spaces, new furrows, and back-fires, soon
subsided for want of fuel; while beyond the fields it swept away to the
northward, bearing death and destruction in its course.
While most of the men had been engaged in saving the house and its
adjoining fences, a small party, under the direction of Mr. March, had
guarded the mill. They, however, had little to do save watch for flying
embers, it was so well protected by its pond on one side and the river
on the other.
By sunrise all danger had passed, and heartily thanking the kind
friends who had come so readily to his assistance, Mr. Elmer dismissed
them to their homes.
It took several days to recover from the effects of the great fire, and
to restore things to their former neat condition; but Mr. Elmer said
that, even if they had suffered more than they did, it would have been
a valuable lesson to them, and one for which they could well afford to
pay.
Soon after this Mr. Elmer decided to go to Tallahassee again to make a
purchase of cattle; for, with thousands of acres of free pasturage all
around them, it seemed a pity not to take advantage of it. Therefore he
determined to experiment in a small way with stock-raising, and see if
he could not make it pay. This time he took Mark with him, and instead
of going down the river to St. Mark's to take the train, they crossed
on the ferry, and had Jan drive them in the mule wagon four miles
across country to the railroad. On their way they came to a fork in the
road, and not knowing which branch to take, waited until they could ask
a little colored girl whom they saw approaching. She said, "Dis yere
humpety road'll take yo' to Misto Gilcriseses' plantation, an' den yo'
turn to de right ober de trabblin' road twel yo' come to Brer Steve's
farm, an' thar yo' be."
"Father, what is the difference between a plantation and a farm?" asked
Mark, as they journeyed along over the "humpety" road.
"As near as I can find out," said Mr. Elmer, "the only difference is
that one is owned by a white, and the other by a colored man."
They found "Brer Steve's" house without any difficulty, and, sure
enough, there they were, as the little girl had said they would be; for
"Brer Steve" lived close to the railroad, and the station was on his
place.
Mark was delighted with Tallahassee, which he found to be a very
pleasant though small city, built on a hill, and surrounded by other
hills. Its streets were shaded by magnificent elms and oaks, and these
and the hills were grateful to the eye of the Maine boy, who had not
yet learned to love the flat country in which his present home stood.
They spent Sunday in Tallahassee, and on Monday started for home before
daylight, on horseback and driving a small herd of cattle, which, with
two horses, Mr. Elmer had bought on Saturday. As Saturday is the
regular market-day, when all the country people from miles around flock
into town to sell what they have for sale, and to purchase supplies for
the following week, Mark was much amused and interested by what he saw.
Although in Tallahassee there are no street auctions as in Key West,
there was just as much business done on the sidewalks and in the
streets here as there.
It seemed very strange to the Northern boy to see cattle and pigs
roaming the streets at will, and he wondered that they were allowed to
do so. When he saw one of these street cows place her fore-feet on the
wheel of a wagon, and actually climb up until she could reach a bag of
sweet-potatoes that lay under the seat, he laughed until he cried.
Without knowing or caring how much amusement she was causing, the cow
stole a potato from the bag, jumped down, and quietly munched it. This
feat was repeated again and again, until finally an end was put to
Mark's and the cow's enjoyment of the meal, by the arrival of the
colored owner of both wagon and potatoes, who indignantly drove the cow
away, calling her "a ole good-fo'-nuffin'."
Mark said that after that he could never again give as an answer to the
conundrum, "Why is a cow like an elephant?" "Because she can't climb a
tree;" for he thought this particular cow could climb a tree, and
would, if a bag of sweet-potatoes were placed in the top of it where
she could see it.
It was late Monday evening before they reached home with their new
purchases, and both they and their horses and their cattle were pretty
thoroughly tired with their long day's journey. The next day, when Ruth
saw the horses, one of which had but one white spot in his forehead,
while the other had two, one over each eye, she immediately named them
"Spot" and "Spotter." Mark said that if there had been another without
any spots on his forehead he supposed she would have named him
"Spotless."