They flew across the valley and came to the ridge
where the boy sat. A horned owl perched beside him, and on a branch just
above him a hen hawk alighted. These would have been dangerous
neighbours at any other time, but now they did not even glance in his
direction--only stared at the fire. Probably they could not make out
what was wrong with the forest. A marten ran up the pine to the tip of a
branch, and looked at the burning heights. Close beside the marten sat a
squirrel, but they did not appear to notice each other.
Now the fire came rushing down the slope, hissing and roaring like a
tornado. Through the smoke one could see the flames dart from tree to
tree. Before a branch caught fire it was first enveloped in a thin veil
of smoke, then all the needles grew red at one time, and it began to
crackle and blaze.
In the glen below ran a little brook, bordered by elms and small
birches. It appeared as if the flames would halt there. Leafy trees are
not so ready to take fire as fir trees. The fire did pause as if before
a gate that could stop it. It glowed and crackled and tried to leap
across the brook to the pine woods on the other side, but could not
reach them.
For a short time the fire was thus restrained, then it shot a long
flame over to the large, dry pine that stood on the slope, and this was
soon ablaze.
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