CHAPTER XV
A HAPPY MEETING
Fanned by a strong wind, the flames gained headway rapidly, and soonboth houses were wrapped in fire, while over them hung a black pall ofsmoke. The dwellings were close together, and it seemed likely that morewould catch, as there was no possibility of using the fire engines, ifso small a town possessed them.
For the streets of the village were three feet or more under water, andthe curious sight was presented of houses surrounded by a flood beingdestroyed by fire.
"The stoves must have upset, or something like that, to cause the fire!"cried Blake, as the motor boat was steered toward the blazing dwellings.
"They're beginning the work of rescue now," called Mr. Ringold. "See,they're coming in boats."
A number of small craft, containing several men, who had evidently beenengaged in either rescue or salvage work, in another part of the town,came rowing along the inundated streets toward the scene of the fire.
"Look!" shouted C. C. "Someone just jumped from one of the windows then!And there goes another!"
They all looked in time to see a body plunge downward into the water,and one of the boats swerved toward it. Those aboard the _Clytie_ saw, amoment later, a woman pulled from the flood, and taken into the smallboat.
At the same moment another body shot from a window of the first burninghouse, and this person, too, was rescued.
"After all, the water is a good thing," remarked Blake, as he hastilyoiled the motor. "They couldn't jump on the hard ground, but the floodsaves them, even if it does destroy their houses."
"They are certainly having their own troubles," observed Joe.
"We'll help them all we can!" cried the manager. "Get out some of thelife preservers, boys, and the cork rings. It may be that we shall needthem."
They had provided themselves with these appliances before starting offon their trip, and Blake and Joe now took them from the lockers and laidthem where they could be gotten at instantly.
"I saw a fire once," remarked little Charlie, who was an interestedobserver of the fearsome scene.
"Did you?" asked C. C., who had taken a great liking to the small chap."Where?"
"Our barn burned up," the child went on, "but pa, he got our horse out,and the cow."
"He must have lived on a farm," said the actor to the boys, "and yetthat upside-down house we took him from didn't look like a farmdwelling. It was more like a city place."
"He may have lived on a farm when he was younger," observed Blake. "Iwonder if we'll ever find his folks?"
No one answered him, for they were all intent on watching the fire. Fivehouses were now ablaze, and people were jumping from all of them, sothat the men in the boats had all they could do to make the rescues.Farther along the row of dwellings, persons were preparing to leave, forit was evident that nothing could save their homes except a change ofwind.
But boats were needed to enable them to get safely away, and it seemedthere were not enough craft. True, the water was not more than three tosix feet deep, and a man, or even some strong women swimmers, might havegotten along safely, but frail ones, and the children, could not.
"We'll have plenty of chance to help!" cried Blake, as they came nearerthe scene.
Their approach was welcomed with cheers by those in peril.
"Hurray for the motor boat!" yelled one enthusiastic lad--enthusiasticeven in peril. His house was three or four dwellings removed from thosealready burning.
"We'll take you off!" shouted Joe.
"That's the way!" cried one of the men in the small boats. "Just run 'emover to the high ground, and come back for more. We will have to put uptents to house 'em, I guess."
The _Clytie_ was steered close to a burning house, and the anxious eyesof those aboard her sought for signs of life. There were no persons atthe windows, however, and they were about to pass on to the next, theroof of which was just beginning to blaze, from the sparks falling onit, when Joe cried:
"There's someone!"
"A little girl!" added Blake, as he saw the figure of a child at anupper window.
"Jump!" called Mr. Ringold, while he reversed the propeller, to holdback the boat against the force of the current. "Jump, little girl!"
"I--I'm afraid!" she sobbed.
"We'll save you!" added Mr. Piper, holding out his arms encouragingly."Jump, the water won't hurt you."
"I must get a picture of this," murmured Blake. "There are enough othersto aid in the rescue work, and I'll leave the camera, and help, theminute I'm needed."
"Yes, it's too good a chance to miss," agreed Joe.
And, while the child hesitated at the window, the flames increased.Blake got the moving picture camera into action.
"Come! You must jump!" called Mr. Ringold.
The child hesitated a moment longer, and then, as a backward look intothe house showed her the raging fire coming nearer, she burst intotears, and climbed out on the window sill. Waiting there a moment shelet herself drop, feet foremost, into the flood.
"Watch her!" cried Mr. Ringold, as he remained at the wheel.
The child disappeared beneath the surface of the muddy water.
"I've got her!" yelled Mr. Piper, as she bobbed up a moment later, andhe hauled her aboard.
"Now you're all right, little one," he said, soothingly, as he cuddledher in his arms. "We'll take care of you."
"We'll have to get out of here," shouted the manager. "It is getting toohot!"
They had drifted in close to a burning house--so close, in fact, thatblazing brands fell on the deck of the boat. But they were quicklyextinguished by Joe. Blake continued to grind away at the camera,getting a series of remarkable pictures of the burning houses in theflood.
The small boats, having taken their loads of refugees to safety,returned to continue the work, and the _Clytie_ was steered on down therow of houses to where others were waiting to be saved.
Dwelling after dwelling was emptied of its occupants, and soon the motorboat was laden to the limit of safety.
"We'll take 'em to high ground, and come back!" said the manager, as heturned the bow of the craft up a side street, that led to the hills backof the town.
They went in as near shore as was safe, and then those whom our friendshad saved were taken off on an improvised raft, and cared for byvolunteers who had hastily organized to help in this time of stress andtrouble.
"The fire will soon burn itself out," remarked Blake, as they went backto it again. "I'll get all the pictures I can, though."
There were only a few more houses left in the row that had started toburn, and when the last of these was gone there was a wide space whichwould preclude the possibility of more being devoured by the flames--atleast until another blaze started.
There was nothing that could be done to check the conflagration. Infact, as the boys learned later, the town was without fire protection,save a volunteer company, with a hand engine, and this was, of course,useless in the flood.
Proceeding to a house at a point below which the small boats wereengaged in rescue work, those aboard the _Clytie_ saved a number ofwomen and children. These were taken to a place of safety, and anothertrip back made.
"There goes the last house!" cried Blake, as the final one in the rowcaught.
"Yes, and there's a woman signaling to us!" added Joe.
"Two of 'em!" yelled Mr. Piper, as he caught sight of two forms at athird-story window. This house was all aflame on one side, from thewater's edge to the roof, but it had not yet kindled on the side wherethe women appeared. They had made their way to the top floor, perhaps onaccount of fire being below them.
"Jump!" yelled Blake, as he put aside his camera, for the reel of filmhad run out, and he did not want to stop to thread in more.
"Yes, jump!" added Mr. Ringold. "We'll save you--it's your only chance!"
"I'm coming!" answered one woman, and she made a dive into some deepwater an instant later, evident
ly being an accomplished swimmer. Shecame up near the motor boat, and was promptly taken in.
"Come on!" cried Mr. Ringold to the other woman.
She hesitated, and drew back, evidently being in great fear, and sheseemed to be saying something, for her lips could be seen to move.
"You must jump!" the manager shouted, as he slowly backed the boat tokeep her as nearly as possible in a favorable position for picking upthe woman when she dived.
She gave a backward look into the house, and what she saw must havecaused her to make up her mind, for she prepared to leap into the floodbelow her.
The one who had been at the window with her, having gotten her breathafter her leap, added her entreaties to those aboard the _Clytie_.
"Jump, Mary! Jump!" she begged. "It's your only chance!"
The woman at the window hesitated no longer. She tumbled, rather thandived, into the water, but the rescuers were on the alert, and thoughthe woman came up some little distance from the craft, Blake, with aboathook, caught her dress, and pulled her close enough so that Mr.Piper could haul her aboard. Then the _Clytie_ was put in motion, forthe house was burning fast, and her position was anything but safe.
For a few moments after her rescue, the second woman thus saved washysterical. But her companion attended her, and soon she was more likeherself.
"You'll be all right in a little while," said Mr. Piper. "We'll take youto high ground, and the good women there will look after you."
"Oh, what a terrible time it has been--fire and flood!" murmured the onecalled Mary.
"It certainly has been, but the Lord is good to us--he sent these kindmen and boys to save us," the other added, as she looked at Blake andJoe.
"If only He would give me back my little boy," sobbed the second womansaved. "But oh, the flood has taken him!"
She sobbed on her companion's shoulder.
"There, there," soothed the other, "you may find him some day. Don'ttake on so, Mary."
"I can't help it, Ellen. Oh, my poor boy!"
It was evident that she was referring to some previous loss. Charlie,who had been in the darkened cabin, started suddenly as he heard thevoice of the woman called Mary. He now came out on the open deck, andstared curiously at her. And the woman, who was supporting the head ofthe other on her shoulder, looked at Charlie.
A change came over her face. She tried to speak but could not. Finallyshe did manage to gasp:
"Mary! Look! Look! Here's Charlie now! Here's your boy!"
The woman raised her tear-stained face. For a moment she did notcomprehend, and then, as a look of great joy showed itself in her eyes,she held out her arms, crying:
"My boy! My boy! Charlie! Is it possible!"
And as for the little lad, with one glad cry, he threw himself into herloving clasp, sobbing over and over again:
"Mamma! Mamma! Oh, I am so glad!"