Year: 1869

Parker shook his head.


1T isn't that; | believe that the
prairie is on fire.


His companions started involuntarily,
for they understood too well the meaning
of such a calamity. If such prove the
case, they could save themselves by the
common resort of fighting fire by fire;
bat the desolate blackened prairie, and
the charred corpses Of buffaloes and wild
horses and the barren waste that would
be left were sights which they had no
desire to witness, and nccessitated an
experience on their part which they all
dreaded


The three now walked out from their
grove to take look at the horizon They
scanned every portion of it in quest of
the dreaded element At first they
could see nothing alarming, but Parker
was sure that away to the northwest there
was an unusual appearance of the sky.
1t had faint redness aud glow which
is witnessed when we look toward DIS
tant conhagration, and the smoky appear
ance was more perceptible than ever.


1.-The internal Apaches have set the
prairie on fire. said Parker; there is no
need of being mistaken about it.


Chow far away


"a good distance off, Our horses and
ourselves need good rest, and we can
lay down until daylight without fear


It was now quite late in the evening
and as the hunters were very much
exhausted, they stretched themselves in
their blankets and were soon lost in
slumbcr


Parker was the first to awake, and
when he did so, the first thing he
noticed was that the heavy smoky smell
noticed during the night was more in
tensIfed. At the same time he heard
the horses eishinS, stamping and giving
evidence of an unusual alarm.


''Quickly, boys"' he shouted. There
Is no time to lose-the prairie is on fire."


Several miles to the northwest they
could see fully fourth Of the horizon
one mass of seething, roaring fame.
Great arrowy points of fire shot upward,
swaying swiftly with serpentine motion,
while vast volumes of thick, heavy smoke
rolled overhead, and millions of sparks
filed the air


1t was fearful sight, one well calcu-
lated to strike terror In the strongest
heart


'Shall we set fire to the grass?" in
quired the brothers.


"It seems sparse and thin hereabouts,"
replied Parker. ''Ionder is a creek,
which, if I am not greatly mistaken, is
broad enough to stop the fire in this di-
rection. That will be a better plan
than to undertake to fire the grass, which
may burn too slow. But the brothers
objected to this course, as the creek or
river referred to was quite distant, and
after what Parker had said about the lack
of water in this region, they had strong
doubts of its existence; and besides, their
horses had not yet recovered from their
severe exertion of the day before to make
them equal to rapid ride, even if only
few miles in extent.


"You may try it if you wish, " added
George Williams, "but We amt quite
such fools as that


Parker felt somewhat touched at this,
and was driven into what he would hard
ly have done had he taken time to dellb-
crate.


Mounting his horse, he turned his head
toward the southwest, and bidding them
good-by, started off at gallop. The
last glimpse he had of his friends was to
see them gathering tufts Of grass pre-
paratory to setting them on fire, when he
turned about and attended to his own
safety.


'Now, jack" said he cheerily, ad-
dressing his horse, "you have need of all
your speed. Bear me to the creek as
fast as you can. 1t is the only water
IN this section, and we need it."


The noble animal seemed as if he
understood what his master said; but he
had gone scarcely half mile when his
rider made most alarming discovery.
The creek, whose borders were marked
by line OF trees, was considerably furth-
er than he imagined, and the labored
progress of his horse showed him that he