Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1892-08-12
CHAPTER VI.
A frInn or. rRANrpc

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blazing oil that rushed down the slope
toward her Even her occupants would
have stood but slight chance Of escap-
ing. The stream of leaping fame was
so wide, and came toward them with
such extraordinary swiftness, that, be-
fore they could have reached the shore
and run beyond its limits in either di-
rection, it would have been upon them
Their only chance would have been to
throw themselves into the swift current
of the river from the opposite side OF
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bank at safe distance below.
Uncle Phin was helpless with terror,
and completely bewildered by the sud
denness of the peril that threatened
them. Thus it was entirely owing to
Arthur's presence Of mind and quick
wit that their boat was saved
and they escaped the necessity of taking
the desperate plunge, that would prob
ably have drowned one or both of them.
The boy had noticed that the storm
came from over the hills on their side
of the river, and how, as the fierce
blasts swept down and struck the broad
side OF the ark, she tugged and strained
at her moorings. Now he remembered
this, and was quick TO turn his observa-
tions to account.
Seizing the axe he severed at single
blow the rope holding the boat at one
end, and then, running to the other, cut
that with equal promptness. Next,
thrusting long pole into Uncle Phin's
trembling hands, he bade the old man
shove off from shore with all his
strength, at one end, while, with a
lighter pole, he did the same thing at
the other. Their feeble strength would
have availed little, but for the power
full aid lent by the favoring gale. While
this hurled the advancing flames fierce
ly toward them, 1t also drove them, at
first slowly, then more rapidly, beyond
reach of the danger.
There was hardly ten feet of
open water between the ark and
the shore she had just left, when the
flames sprang down the bank, and began
to spread over the surface of the river,
the oil burning here as readily as on
land. For minute it seemed as though
the fire must catch and devour them
after all Its flames leaped eagerly for
ward, like million writhing serpents,
with red forked tongues darting after
their prey.
push, Uncle Phinl Push for your
lifer shouted Arthur from his end Of
the boat, whore he was breathlessly ex-
erting every ounce of strength that his
sturdy little frame could yield.
"I's pushin', honeyi" answered the
cid man, with the veins Of his forehead
standing out like whip cords. II is a
pushin'; but unless de good Lawd push
wiz US, we hain't got no SHOW"
But the good Lord did push with
these, His helpless ones, and His strong
wind bore their drifting boat forward
faster than it did the hungry flames.
The current of course set them down
stream at the same time, and thus,
moving in diagonal direction, they
soon found themselves in safety. They
were beyond the limits of the sea of fire,
that extended for mile down the river,
and a quarter of that distance out
toward it's center. Here the old
man and the boy laid down their now
useless poles, and watched the wonder
fully beautiful, but fearful sight while
they recovered their spent breath.
The great tank was still vomiting
forth sheets Of flame and clouds OF
smoke. None of the others had caught
Rre; and an occasional CLEAN Of light,
reflected from the white walls of the
Chapman's cottage, showed them that it
was still safe.
At length, as they were rapidly near
ing the opposite side OF the river, the
current bore them around sharp turn,
that almost instantly hid the whole
glowing scene from them, and plunged
them into q darkness, the moro intense
on account of the recent glare.
With this turn Of the river the gale,
now acting on the other side Of the boat,
drove 1t back toward the bank they had
loft; and thus, for several hours, as they
followed the windings of the crooked
stream, they were carried, now almost
to one side, and then nearly to the 9TH
er. As they could see absolutely moth
ing Of where they were, or whittier they
were going, they were quite ignorant OF
their surroundings. Nor did they know
what had happened, when, about mid
night, their boat was driven violently
upon some obstruction, and its move
nent was suddenly arrested.
The storm had passed, so that there
was no longer any lightning to give
them instantaneous photographs of the
scene about them. The wind still blew q
gale, and, as they could hear it lashing
the branches Of the forest trees, ap
parently directly above their heads,
they concluded that they must have
been driven ashore.
Although both Arthur and Uncle
Phin --ere too excited and too anxiou:
to go TO bed, there was nothing they
could do to improve their situation un
til the morning light should disclose its
features, SO they closed the doors and
windows OF their house and lighted the
new lamp. How snug and cheerful the
rude little cabin now looked. How
homelike it seemed, and what a fine
shelter it was from the gale that was
bowling outside.
Arthur said he was hungry, and, as
Uncle Phin said he was hungry also
provisions for a light lunch, after which
Arthur read aloud from his book the
tale of the Steadfast Lead Soldier. The
old negro thought it very nice story,
though not SO good as it would be had
the lead soldier been alive. Then he tolG
| Arthur, for about the thousandth time
the story Of how Brer Rabbit and Brel
Fox went a-6shing; and before it was
finished the tired child was fast asleep
Then Uncle Phin lifted him gently into
his bunk, and, finding that the gale had
subsidized almost to calm, concluded tC
| go to bed himself.
So the ark was again left to take
care of itself; and when its inmate:
next awoke, it was not only broad day
| light, but nearly noon. They now dis
covered that their craft had indeed beer
river that they had left the preceding
evening, though of course many mile:
below the pumping station. There were
now no houses in sight, nor any traces
of human beings; nothing, so far a:
| they could see, but thick forest After
a few Intellectual efforts, they found
that it was useless to try and push the
ark Off with poles into deep water. She
was hard and fast aground, and they
could not bulge her single inch,
So they decided to have break
| fast first, and mako up theil
| minds what 10 do afterwards and while
| Uncle Phin prepared the simple meal
| Arthur made the beds, and swept ont