Year: 1866

/


And l don't think / ever shall get t.
take it asa matter of course, sir taking
it coolly's out of the question. Here We
are living about as excited q life as man
can lead--always on duty, and ready al
a moment to have a set-to with the wors
fire that ever broke out. No; shall
never get to take 1t as a matter of course
for it's all dark, rush and excitement
and | love it. sir. Flash comes the news
to us by telegraph, most likely; ou
comes the horses; there's a light put to
the ready trimmed fire; and then, with
train of sparks flying out behind US, as
the fire roars, and the steams getting UP
away gallop !he horses. Ay, it's "Hi
no halo! - and they clear the road fol
US, and away we go full galiop down the
streets, with the horses hoofs striking
fire, the crowd shouting, and the running
mob increasing at every step. There's
something in it as warns ones blood ;
and as to the danger-well, of course,
its dangerous but when we feel that
we'er doing our duty, and know what's
before US, why, somehow we don't re-
member the danger, but go at it in earn
est. IS ry-r-


Now, there was only last week, sitting
as l was waiting for call-there it was
at last, late on in the night, when the
streets we're clear; and away we tore at
something like a pace. Oxford street,
Holborn, down The Hill, up Skinner street
and Newga,e street-whoop! and away
full gallop, with the horses enjoying it,
bless you. and lashing out till it's hard to
say whelher they didn't make more
sparks than the fire under the boiler
We wanted no more instructions, for
there was the red glow on ahead and
as we got nearer we could almost see
the sparks; and at last we did see them
come pouring and rolling along with the
smoke, and being heavy, hot night,
hanging like thick starspangled cloud
just over our beads.


Two engines were there, and as it
happened so late there was not so many
people as might haye been expected but
as soon as ! gQy there saw as something
particular was the matter, and this is
what il was. The fire was in quite
narrow court. where they couldn't get the
escapes, and there was people burning to
death; while above the shouting of the
mob and clanking of the engine hard at
work you could hear their awful cries for
help.


Now, don't you suppose that Pm proud
of all this I'm going TO tell you, because
I'm not. Now, if you were to dash in
and save any ones life, Why, no doubt it
would be brave and gallant, because you
would haye done it out of true compass
sion for a suffering fellow creature; but
then with me its quite different. I'm
paid so much week to save life and
property from FIRE; consequently, only
do what's my duty to do.


Iruns up to the court axe in hand, and





soon sees the state of affairs. One house
was in blaze from top to bottom. and
the flames had worked through into the
next, and were attacking the one Oppo.
site, while. with their escape regularly
cut of, there was about half dozen
people at the upper windows of the Sec
ond house, and no way of getting to them.
There was no back door to the place,
being in one of those crowded city pla'
ces while the door in front and stair
case were now fast getting into state of
a glow, off which the water squirted and
steamed without making any impression.


AbCI0 was uO titti0 lOA iouOOA VI NAy
thing else but the sheets, and them we
got stretched for the people to jump into'
but, poor things, they dared not, and
what to do could not tell. There was
the fire blazing up higher and higher.
and lighting up two of their old city
churches that you see lost down those old
courts, and looking as if they'd been put
there out of the way because people
didn't have any use for them now. There
they were lit up and glowing, and the
pigeons that lived up lhero scared ana
flying round and round the FIRE; there
was the rush and roar of the wind along
the court as it set towards the fire snd
there were The flames leaping up, the
clouds of sFarks rising, the clouds oi
smoke rolling away, and the cracking
spatter of the states as they few with the
heat, and then slid railing of into the
court beneath, smash upon the pavement
Every now and then came louder roaI
and crash as rafter or beam fell 10
and sent the sparks Up in a whiFIlyTind Z