Sharp County record., 1903-08-21
WON FROM
THE FLAMES
dpnpbuuunbuu{ppppucc cnnCpEu
tCoryrishi 1877. By Authors 5yulicste9
sY T. s. sRzHF

! districts Of northern Arizona. There
hsd been two dry years iu succession,
leavnr the country q ve..tab.r -iuder
/ box. Added 20 tL.s were the heavy
i and persistent springwiuds thatwon.a
fan a small spark into a raging bel! in
Few hours.
. The government officers and line
riders were kept on constant move
TO save the country from conGagra-
) tior. The country was sparse.y sell
/ tied. Here and there, miles apart
where a small srop or spring furnished
f. them water, a settler would sometimes
he found. decY In the woods. AronEh-
: er and more rocky country never lay
outdoors. Canyons split it ur in all di-
rections: messs werJ covered with
pine timber and on the rocky seamv
( sides Of the hills were thick cedars and
chaparral, making a tangled jungle
that even the old pioneers would oc-
casionaIly get lost in.
It was late in the spring when the
biggest fire ot a decade broke ont, and
4 at a time when the wind was blowing
I a terrific gale. It marked as high as
Z 80 miles an hour 1all.u- 0t sunset,
J seemingly 20 rest for the coming day
whtn it would break out again with
, renewed force.
A small amp fire left unattended
started the sea of fame on its Journey
/ OF destruc ion. 4 heavy wind was be-
1 hind it, driving IL due north toward
the highest peaks Of the mountains.
The government rider in charge Of
the district fought it FOR two days
With what help he could get from the
ranchers, but on the third day it broke
! away from him. He rode TO the nearest
! telegraph station and wired his SUI
perior officer 'or help. Help which
was 20 miles away. ana soon force Of
20 men was on its W. as fast rs
horses could run. The driver rolled
and swayed in his seat. hrac:ug now
and then agains his seat-mate as
the four-horse team swung around the
sharp curves and over the rough road.
Smoke covered the whole country
for miles around; valleys were filed
with It, and great black clouds hung
over and hid he mountain peaks. As
far as the eve could reach there was
8 leaping, twisting, roaring sea of
fame. As the night wore on, the
smoke settled more closely TO the
ground and shut out the moonlight,
adding more to the awful beauty OF
the wild scene; giant trees blazing
from root to the topmost branches
gave out their spectral, shimmerinF
light, which seemed to gain in size un
ill they appeared many times their ac-
tual sire and height.
Above the din and roar came the
occasional boom of n distant tree as il
crashed down into the canyon below
upon the rocks; up steep mountain
sides the flames rolled and cracked,
dartin0 here and there, licking up ev-
erythng in its reach; the wind whirled
it here and there; boiling smoke rolled
close to the ground, covering the men
and choking them until they were
nearly strangled; now and hen they
would come stumbling out Of the black
smoke and stagger away 10 get their
breath. Then after q few gasps Of
fresh air got by lying close to the
ground, back they would 20 again,
black and begrimed; beating the fire
out here, chopping and cutting away
logs, hghting like fiends to stop the
spread.
Along toward morning, Charlie Lew
Ia, one OF the regular range riders OF
the district, came up TO the officer in
charge Of the reserve, with an anxious
look on his hegrimed and sweaty face.
Captain" if amt mistaken, there's
n ranch over there in that draw about
a mile to the left. I hadn't thought
of it before, hut old man Williams
lives there He moved back there about
a month ago with his daughter. I
think something oughter be done to
see If he amt got ont Of there before
the fire runs onto him."
Good God, man, no one could get
through this living hell for a mile
and come out alive Unless" he add
ed, hnlf TO himself unless there
happened 10 be a break in the fire
line somewhere that split it around
4 canyon"
well, Pll tell you, cap, IL you'll
Jest let me try may be able to do
something FER 'em. I amt worth n
dam, nohow, and il won't hurt much
if | don't make il, I know most Of
the country like a faro layout, so
does my bronze If / don't get
through, cap-why, it'll be the right
kind of a start fer me in the next
world, ennyhow," he said, with lit
tie deprecating laugh.
The cap, as he called him, grasped
him by the hand, mumbled something
under his breath that sounded ike
id fool" wiped something ont Of
mis- eyes and said.
We'll go ahead if you are bound
TO-" .tt
2 In a short time Charlie had Sc
cured his little sure-tooted beast,
.,ol.i,u. hg. Il