The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-10-09
TDGlER1SlLA AND,
QAhw SssiaR By 1o4osuss.s A1essiL

The underground OF the island
was dry as finder. The tan grasses
and reeds had turned TO hay. Given
the right wind It might be possible
to IRE the island In many places and
burn the tigers out. In q high wind
the FIRE would travel Ike race
horses.
Fruit trees and palm trees might
be damaged but they would not be
destroyed. and II would not be nee
essary or indeed possible to burn
over the entire island. But II one
could set IRE to the back valley
when the tigers were In Il. nothing
could save them unless they had the
reasoning powers Of . man.
II they were In the lower part Of
the valley. there was q scramhllng
way OF ESCAPE over the farther
shoulder. But Bowers believed that
the beasts would not think Of this
They would retreat before the fame
until there was no longer any way
out. either to the right or to the
left or straight ahead.
II the attempt were to be made at
all It should be made as soon as DOS
sible. The rains were due and even
overdue and one good shower OF
course would spoil everything. he
consulted with Ivy and they per.
fected q plan. They collected bun
dies OF dried splinters with which
10 start two fires. one at each side
Of the valley. and thereafter to hur.
~ to the center. starting hlazes as
they went.
ON the following day the tigers
~ made their presence known In
the back valley. but there was no
wind and the sky was overcast Bow.
ers cursed himself for having been
so slow to think OF fire as q weapon.
That overcast sky could mean but
one thing. the ruination OF their
plans. 1t was making up to rain.
But 1t did not rain that day or that
night Dawn came over the volcano,
. gray watery-looking dawn, and
from the opposite direction came
wind In strong gusts. The surf rose
higher and higher along the barrier.
reef and whitecaps scudded shore
ward across the lagoon. also clouds
darkly gray scudded across the sky.
The tigers had greeted the change
OF weather and the drop In tenn
perature with q series Of short
coughing barks. They were rest
less. uneasy and very hungry. The
time for action had come.
Ivy and Bowers made their way
TO the beach wen loaded with the
makings of many fires. Helen, belted
and chained. was left behind in the
cave. They hurried as fast as they
could Both had feeling that there
was q great race on between fire
and rain
When Bowers had reached the
farther shoulder Of the back valley
he signaled to Ivy. as prearranged.
by raising his arms straight above
his head. No more than . quarter
mile Of beach separated them. Ivy,
who had already laid her fire, went
down on her knees. He thought that
he saw the flash OF the match which
she had struck. Then he lighted his
fire.
When they came together at the
mouth Of the little river and looked
up the valley they looked into q
furiously receding furnace Of Ere
and smoke. Above the cracking and
the roar OF the confiagration which
they had started could be heard the
far-on roaring OF the tigers, at once
defiant and apprehensive.
Just when Bowers was certain
that the great race between FIRE and
rain bad been won by the former,
the first drops fell. and these were
followed few moments later by a
deluge. In five minutes the slow me-
andering little river was a rushing
torrent and had overflowed its
banks.
The flames Of the roaring confia,
grafton. fifteen to twenty feet high
were fattened to the earth and
quenched- The lower regions OF the
valley had been burned black. but
the narrows at the head to which
the tigers had retreated we're IN
touched.
We'll. said Bowers. that's that"
They went home to their cave,
wondering what they had better try
next
What they tried next was a sam
pie of weather. All day and all night
the rain fell without abatement
The cooking-fre which hitherto had
been kindled on the ledge in front
Of the cave had to be brought inside
and put out as soon as It had served
its purpose. They were stickIly
damp. and their eyes smarted.
During the morning OF the fourth
day the sky cleared. and they looked
out upon a world as clean and
sharply bright as q cut jewel. But
they were stiIl proyisioned and did
not leave the cave.
(cesIizls. 1894. ., GosssrssEr Merrill