CHAPTER XI. THE FIRE TEST.
Touched with reckless bravery, foolhardiness in fact, as Rob's act hadappeared to be, yet he had not acted without taking due thought. Asalways in emergencies, his mind worked with great swiftness. He had nosooner made up his mind that it was his duty, cost what it might, to savethat innocent little one's life, than he had hit upon a plan.
If the child was lodged in the center of the building, he knew full wellthat long before its life must have been yielded up to the fire demon.But if the quarters of the janitor were, as he believed, in the southcorner of the school, then there was still a chance. The mother's wordshad put him out of all doubt on this score and Rob instantly determinedto face the most daring act of his life.
The rooms at the south side of the building had been used by the Academyboys as a gymnasium before their present quarters were built, so that Robwas thoroughly familiar with the stairways leading to them. So far as hecould see it would be possible, by using a side door, to dodge the flamesshooting up the center of the building. There was a winding stairway thatexisted on this side of the structure quite independent of the mainflight which, by this time, must have fallen in.
With Rob, to arrive at a decision was to act upon it. As we have seen, hehad lost no time in making for the doorway. He had, in fact, a doublereason for his haste. For one thing, every second would count, and, foranother, he realized that to many in the crowd his act would appear toborder on madness, and that an attempt might be made to hold him back.
"The boy's a fool!" yelled someone in the crowd behind Merritt.
Quick as a flash Rob's chum faced around, indignation shining in hiseyes, which had, a second before, been dimmed with tears.
"No, sir; however Rob makes out, he's a hero," he shot back, while amurmur of approbation ran through the crowd.
"Keep your places, boys," he ordered the next instant, for the Scouts,half wild with anxiety and excitement, were beginning to waver and allowthe crowd to surge forward. Merritt's words stiffened them. In a momentthey were recalled to a sense of that duty of which they had justwitnessed such a conspicuous example.
The instant Rob crossed the threshold of that door he found himselfsurrounded by smoke. But he bent low, and throwing his coat more closelyabove his head, he crouched on all fours so as to get below the level ofthe acrid fumes that made his eyes smart cruelly. Suddenly he stumbledover something, and as he saw in the dim light what it was he gave a gladgasp. It was a bucket of water, left on the stairway after the regularSaturday scrubbing.
Rob was a Scout who knew, from careful study of his Manual, just what todo in emergencies. He recalled now that in case of being compelled toenter a smoky, blazing building, it was recommended to bind a wet clothover mouth and nostrils in such a way as to act as a respirator.Instantly he saturated his handkerchief in the water and bound it on hisface in the manner advocated.
Then he began what was to prove a terrible climb. The school was threestories in height, the lower two floors containing study rooms andoffices and the top floor lumber rooms and the apartments occupiedtemporarily by the janitor.
Breathing with more ease now that he had bound up his face, Rob foughthis way upward. It was as murky as a pit, and it seemed that the stairswere interminable. Suddenly he stumbled and fell headlong. He had gainedthe first landing. Through a door opening upon it jets of flame, likeserpents' tongues, were beginning to shoot. Rob staggered toward the doorand slammed it to. He knew that this was absolutely necessary, for in thecase of the staircase being in flames when it came time for him toretrace his steps his retreat would be cut off.
But that was a thought he did not dare to dwell upon. Steeling himselfanew he pushed stubbornly on to the next flight.
"It's lucky I know this place as well as I do," he thought, as he gamelykept up the fight against what appeared almost overwhelming odds.
As he climbed higher it grew hotter. The place was like the interior of avolcano. Beyond the wall of the stairway Rob could hear the flamesroaring like the beat of the surf on a rocky coast. It almost seemed asif the fire demon possessed an articulate voice and was howling his rageand defiance at the boy who had dared to face his terrors. But, hot as itwas growing, Rob yet found some small grain of comfort in the fact thatthe smoke was not so thick.
He breathed more freely even if his throat was becoming dry as dust andwhistled in an odd way as he climbed higher. At last he reached thesummit of the second flight.
He paused irresolutely on the landing. Several doors opened off it. Nowthat he was actually there, Rob was confused for an instant. He was notquite so sure of his bearings as he had thought he would be. But the roarof the flames below and about him warned him to lose not a second ofprecious time in procrastination.
He plunged into the door nearest at hand. Within he found himself in aroom which was evidently a dining room. Supper was ready spread on thetable. A lamp illumined the scene. How odd it seemed to be gazing at thispeaceful domestic setting, while below and to one side of him, devouringflames were roaring and leaping. Save for a strong smell of smoke and aslight bluish haze, the room might have been a thousand miles away fromthe flaming building in which it was located.
Suddenly, as the boy stood there looking swiftly about him, there came acrash that shook the whole place like an earthquake.
"A floor's fallen!" gasped Rob. "Pray heaven it's not taken any part ofthat stairway with it!"
Brave as he was, the young scout turned pale and actually shook for aninstant like a leaf. He knew full well that if that stairway, or any partof it, was gone, he was doomed to die as irrevocably as if a deathsentence had been pronounced upon him. All at once, from a room openingoff the dining room came a wailing cry.
"Muvver! Muvver, I'se fwightened!"
Rob's heart gave a quick bound and he galvanized into instant action, agreat contrast to his temporary state of stupefaction!
"All right, youngster. Don't cry, I'm coming," he called out, plungingforward.
Inside the room was a small crib, with a child about three years oldlying on it clasping a doll in her arms.
"Who's oo?" she demanded in some alarm, as Rob, with his handkerchieftied over his face, advanced.
"Me? Why--why, I'm a fireman," exclaimed Rob; and then, with aninspiration, "Let's play that the place is on fire and I'm going to saveyou."
The child clapped her hands and her eyes shone. Rob picked her out of hercrib and carried her tenderly out of the room.
"Now I'm going to cover your face just like real firemen do," he said, asthey emerged on the landing and the hot breath of the furnace below wasspewed up at them.
"Is dat in de game," inquired the child doubtfully, "an' will oo coverdolly's, too?"
"Yes, it's all part of the game," Rob reassured her. "Now then, there weare."
He enveloped the child in his coat which he had already removed andstarted for the landing. Suddenly he stopped, and from under the coatcame a muffled but inquisitive voice:
"Is 'oo cwyin', Mister Fireman?"
No, Rob was not crying; but he had just seen something that made hisbreath come heavingly and his heart almost stop beating. Below him hecould see a dull red glow, growing momentarily brighter. No need wasthere for him to speculate on what that meant.
The stairway was on fire. His one means of escape from the blazingbuilding was cut off.
For an instant Rob's head swam dizzily. He felt sick and shaky. Was he todie there in that inferno of flames? A cry was forced wildly from hiscracked lips.
"Not like this! Oh, not like this!" he begged, raising his eyes upward.