Year: 1866

catch 1t, a thought struck me, and let the
coil OF my rope fall down into the court. all
but one end as 1 kept hold of, and then when
the poor things saw it let down they shrieked
again. ana one OF them fell back from the
window.


| . Tie on that ladder shouted, " and
some OF you cone up; " and one of my mates
soon tied the rope to one of the rounds, and
then with TWO or three more run into the
house, while l hauled away till got hold of
| the bottom of the ladder for they lad sent
the heaviest end up first, and then dragged it
IN at the window, and balancing the other
end up continued to push it across and into
the window of the other house across the
court, and SC made a sort of bridge, only it
was all askew for the houses were not quite
opposite to one another.


| just I'd done this in comes nv mate
with two more men, and l sets them to work
to hold the ladder while | took hold of the
rope. and then made ready to crawl across on
the thin bridge I'd rugged up. Itwas for life
OF death, or L wouldn't have ventured on the
slight, bending wood for though ladder
set nearly upright may be strong enough, it
makes it q deal weaker to lay it down level
and then go and crawl along it. l knew how
it would be, though so l tied the rope round
my body, and made my mate hitch the other
end round big hook in the wall, used for u
pulley, SC that in the event of a fall if the
rope held good, shouldn't have gone all the
way. They tied one end of the ladder, too,
for to keep it steady, and then there l WAS
scrambllng across, with the LADDER bending
and quivering, and the crowd underneath
hurraying and clapping their hands just as if
| was doing BIT OF Biondin to please them.


low tina. ladder did bend SO that
thought 1t must give Hay, and ;ae 60 crash
into the court but it didn't and the next
moment was in the window of the burning
house with the trembling women clinging to
me.


Now, then" says to one man, you
can creep across and | pointed to the lad
der.


" Can t leave my wife, he says, holding
half faintlng wom-n against the window,
where the smoke wasn ( quite dense.


" lou re & trump, you are, d" thinks and
then hauls more OF the rope over, and NAL kes
It fast round The poor woman's s waist end
then We laid her on the ladder, and the three
on the other side hauled, and we held on to
the rope this end, and so We got her half
across, when she slipped off the ladder, and
hung right over the court, while there arose
a regular shrek OF horror. But there was
people, you see, at each end of the rope and
we loosened az the Others hanled, and so they
soon had her at the other window, though
the rope ght that it must have hurt
the poor thing terrible.


Then they loosened the rope again, and we
sent another woman over, aad she WAS inseD-
sible with fear, and We got her over all right,
though she, too, slipped off the ladder. Then
there were two little girls, after the 9TH
err; and it was sad to see how they trembled
and shook-too much frightened to cry and
well they might De, for the heat awful,
and l knew that another quatter OF an hour
would find he room We were in red hot


Ne got another OveI-a young man-and
he was dragged over too, for he dare not try
10 crawl across, and | suppose to man
ain { use to such thugs, 10 creep over place
like that, all those feet over the pavement, and
when you have been frightened TO death near
ly By waking out of your sleep to find the
next place GA ire, is rather trying ; and now
there was only that chap whose wife was sen t
over first, and who had worked all he could
10 help me and another terribly cowardlv
chap, whom | had quite a set-to with to keep
back, T. save the women and children
first.


And now this chap as I've just spoke about
made rush TO ge! to the ladder, and he was
IN such horrid fright that L don't believe
he'd got over sale, and besides | knew there
was time for Us ali to get away if things were
done quietly; so, considering it wasn't bis
turn, L held him back for the married man to
go frs. 10 his wife, hen the other one almost
shrieked out with rage aud fear.


g Let him 60 frst, " says the married ma n
- II wait"


" 'Tain't his turn" | says, rather obstinate
like. 1" Over you 90 . and at such a time
one can t be interferred with and having made
my plans so f.r didn't want them altered
50 = Over you 20 !" | says.


- think | can crawl be says, and be
got out on the ladder; but instead of crawl
ing be sat astrlde OF 1t and worked himself
along, with the crowd hurraying and cheer.
Ing hIm tremendous


Aud up came the fame and smoke, and the
roar and crackie and falling IN OF tImbers
getting terrible. Every place was ligh,
az day, while Is 10 the heat, 1 declare it seem
ed to scorch you fearfully.


- The sooner you're across and me viii you
the better shall like it," | Gays, and then
took a look round to see how matters were
when there came crash and puff, and
momeDt the flames came wreathing and twirl
Ipg up from underneath where | stood, anC
JUST as the last chap had his leg en- the win.
dow sill and | going to tie the rope round
him, lie gave yell and fell back into the
smoky room, and he tainted dead away.


lie must have gone down crash into the
court il l hadn't dragged at bin but there
was no time to lose. | made the rope ias
and got him on to the ladder with the flames
darting up through the rounds and burning
his hair; and then shouted to them to haul
and haul they did, with me trying to stead
him with my end of the rope, but before be
was quite across something went snap, and
staggered back into the room, holding On by
the piece of burnt through rope, and with ny
heart sinking as L felt that my own salvation
was partly gone.


Just then the flames was waited on on
side, and l that they were dragging IL
the last of the seven, and felt now as if II
done good nights work and it was time t.
save myself. Pm not ashamed to own it, dit
feel frig htened as | threw down that piece o.
rope, and it must have been something like
cry of horror L gave when got hold of th
, ladder and felt it burn my hands, and ,hel
as L lifted TO bear upon it, felt 1t crumbl
away and that was without way to escape
Far above the noise of the fire and wate
came the shrek of the crowd as the burn
ladder fell away and hung blazing by one en-
against the opposite house, while there cam
up such rush of fame past the window the
[ could not look out; but directly after
heard the fierce rush of the water and cOul
see that four branches were deluging the viz
| dow and all beneath for my mates kne
=. what danger l was in.


ran to the window, and was beaten bac
by the water, while the smoke that came u
I was quite binding Then 1 tried thrOug
: the hot vapor in the room to see IT cou
get out of the door and reach the roof; b.
Just at that moment there came q dull has
through the smoke, and | could see that th
back of the houss was all on fire, while frol
the way the flames rushed up again in fror