St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1856-10-16

wind in the tree-tops, or of heavy
waterfall, distant, and smothered il
some deep ravine. .... .....r.., 4,
| God have mercy !" he exclaimed
"a bush fire ! and in this thick forest!'
Once more he sprang forward, shout
ing, laundering with his whip. He
and his herd were galloping along the
narrow wood track. But, as he haG
turned westward towards his home
the wood-of which he had before seer
the boundary-now closed for some
miles upon him and as he could not
turn right or left for the chaos of vines
and scrub that obstructed the forest
the idea of being overtaken there by
the bush-fire was horrible. Such an
event would be death, and death only
i Therefore, he urged on his flying
herd with desperation. Crack upon
crack from his long whip, resounded
through the hollow wood. The cattle
themselves seemed to hear the omi.
nous sound, and sniff the now strong.
ly perceptible smell of burning. The
roar of the fire came louder, and ever
and anon seemed to swell and surge
as if urged on by rough rising blast.
The heat was fierce and sufocating.
The young squatter's clothes clung to
him with streaming perspiration. The
horse and cattle steamed and smoked
with boiling heat. Yet onward, on
ward they dashed with lolling tongues.
Sorcerer, specked with patches of
foam on his dark shining body, seem
ed to grow furiously impatient of the
obstruction offered by the bullocks in
his path. As his masters whip explo-
ded on their tanks, he laid back his
ears and, with flaming eyeballs and
barred teeth, strove to tear them in his
rage.
Robert Patterson knew that the ex-
traordinary heat and drought of the
summer had scorched up the grass ;
the very ground had licked up the
water from crab-hole, pool, and many
a creek had withered the herbage in
to crisp hay, and so withered the foil.
age, that you might crumble it be-
tween your fingers. The country seem
ed thoroughly prepared for conAa.
grafton, and only required this fiery
wind to send a blaze of extermina.
tion over the whole land. For weeks,
nay months, the shepherds and saw
yers had spoken Of fires burning in the
hills and, in the fern-tree breaks OF
this very forest he had been recently
told that flames had been observed in
various directions burning redly al
might.
I If the fire had reached him and his
herd before they had escaped into the
|open plains, they must be consumed
like stubble. The cattle began to
|show signs of exhaustion, hanging
out their parched tongues, and pant
ing heavily the perspiration on him.
self and his horse was dried up by the
awful heat, and the dogs ran silently,
or only whining lowly to themselves,
as they hunted every hollow on their
way for water. Suddenly, they were
out in an open plain, yet with the for
est on either hand, but at considera-
BILE distance.
| What a scene The woods were
flaming and cracking in one illimita.
BILE conhagration. The wind, dashing
from the north in gusts of inconceiva.
bic heat, seemed to scar the very face
and shrivel up the lungs. The fire
leaped from tree to tree, flashing and
roaring along, with the speed and the
destructiveness of lightning The sere
foliage seemed to snatch the fire, and
to perish in it in riot of demoniacal
revelry. On it few, fast as the feet.
est horse could gallop and consum.
ling acres of leaves in a moment, still
remained to rage and roar amongst the
branches and in the hollow stems OF
ancient trees. The whole wood on the
left was an enormous region of .intens-
est fame +; and that on the right, sent
forth the sounds of the same ravish.
ing fires but, being to the windward
the flames could not be seen for the
vast clouds of smoke, mingled with
fiery sparks, which were rolled on the
air. There was a sound as of thun
der, mingled with the crash of falling
trees, and the wild cries of legions o1
birds Of. all kinds which fell scorch
ed and blackened and dead to the
ground. .,
4 Once out on this open plain, the
cattle were speedily lost in the blind
ing ocean of smoke, and the young
settler, obliged to abandon them, made
a dash onward for his life. Now the
flames came racing along the grass al
the speed Of the wind, and moving
all smooth as pavement now it tore
Ifuriously through some near point O
the forest, and flung burning ashes
and tangles Of blazing bark upon thu
gallopingrider. ButSorcerer, with al
I instinct more infallible than human
sagacity, sped on, over thicket, ano
stone, and fallen tree, snorting in tn.
thick masses of smoke, and stretching
forward his gaping jaws as if to catcI
every breath OF air to sustain impedee
respiration.
, When the wind veered, the reel
driven backward, revealed most
amazing scene. The blazing skirts O
; the forest i; huge isolated trees, glar
!, ing red-standing columns of fire
thoro a vast trnnn Of wild hnrcoc yUitl