CHAPTER XXX
THE LANE OF FIRE
An icy wind was blowing as Maud climbed the steep road by the church.It whirled down on her with a fierceness that made quick progress out ofthe question. Nevertheless, she fought valiantly against it, fearingthat Jake would have returned before her.
It was not dark. The tearing wind had chased all clouds from the sky,and the daylight still lingered. Ahead of her the North Star hung likea beacon, marvellously bright. There was a smell of smoke in the airthat seemed to accentuate the bitter coldness.
The church clock struck six as she passed it, and she sought to quickenher steps, she did not want Jake to come in search of her. For somereason she did not greatly want to tell him how she had been spendingthe afternoon.
Round the bend of the road the wind caught her mercilessly. She had tobattle against it with all her might to make any progress at all. Itwas while she was struggling round this bend that there suddenly came toher the sound of galloping hoofs and a man's voice wildly shouting. Shedrew to one side, and stood against the hedge; and in a moment ahorseman dashed into view and thundered past her. He was lying forwardon the animal's neck, urging him like a jockey.
He was gone like a whirlwind into the dusk, and Maud was left with athrobbing heart that seemed to have been touched by a hand that wasicy-cold. She was nearly sure that the animal had come from the Stablesand that the man was Sam Vickers. He was not a furious rider as a rule.What had induced him to ride like that to-night? Something waswrong--something was wrong! The certainty of it stabbed her like aknife. What could it be? What? What? Had Jake met with an accident?Was Sam tearing thus madly down to Fairharbour to find the doctor?
The strength of a great fear entered into her. She began to run up thehill in the teeth of the wind. She had only half a mile to go. Shewould soon know the worst.
But she had not gone twenty yards before her progress was checked. Shebecame aware of a drifting mist all about her, a mist that made her gaspand choke. She ran on in the face of it, but it was with failingprogress, for the further she went the more it enveloped her like thesmoke of a vast bonfire.
The coldness at her heart became a tangible and ever-growing fear. Shetried to tell herself that the suffocating vapour blowing down on hercame from a group of ricks that stood not far from the entrance to theStables. Some mischievous person had fired them, and Sam had discoveredit and gone to raise the alarm. But deep within her there clamoured aninsistent something that refused to be reassured. Struggling on throughthe blinding, ever-thickening smoke, the conviction forced itself uponher that no hayricks were responsible for that headlong gallop of Sam's.He had gone as a man going for his life. His progress had been wingedby tragedy.
Gasping, stumbling, with terror in her soul, she fought her way on, tilla further bend in the road revealed to her the driving smoke all luridwith the glare of flames behind. By that curve she escaped from thedirect drift of it and found herself able to breathe more freely. Theshoulder of the hill protected her at this point in some degree from thewind also. She covered the ground more quickly and with less effort.
It was here that there first came to her that awful sound as of arending, devouring monster--the fierce crackling and roaring of fire.The horror of it set all her pulses leaping, but its effect upon hersenses was curiously stimulating. Where another might have beenparalysed by fear, she was driven forward as though goaded irresistibly.It came to her--whence she knew not--that something immense lay beforeher. A task of such magnitude as she had never before contemplated hadbeen laid upon her; and strength--such strength as had never before beenhers--had been given to her for its accomplishment.
She did not know exactly when her fear became certainty, but when thathappened all personal fear passed utterly away from her. She forgotherself completely. All her being leapt to the fulfilment of theunknown task.
The last curve in the uphill road brought her within view of the redflames rushing skyward and curling over like fiery waves before thewind. Through the roar of the furnace there came to her the shouting ofmen's voices and the wild stampeding of horses. And twice ere shereached the gates she heard the terrible cry of a horse. Then as thoughshe moved on wings, she was there in the stable-yard in the thick of theconfusion, with the fire roaring ahead of her and the red glare allaround.
The whole stone-paved space seemed crowded with men and horses, and forthe first few seconds the noise and movement bewildered her. Then shegrasped the fact that only one side of the double row of stables wasalight and that in consequence of the driving north wind the other sidewas in comparative safety.
They were leading the terrified animals out through a passage that ledto further buildings on this safe side. But the task was no light one,for they were all maddened by fear and almost beyond control.
As she drew nearer however Maud saw that the men themselves weregrappling with the situation with energy and resolution, and there wasno panic among them. One--a mere lad--gripping a plunging horse by theforelock, recognized her and shouted a warning through the din.
She came to him, unheeding the trampling hoofs. "Is Mr. Bolton back?"she cried.
He shook his head, striving to back the animal away from her. He had ahalter flung over his shoulder which he had not stopped to adjust.
Maud took it from him, and between them, with difficulty, they slippedit over the terrified creature's head. Then, obtaining a firmer hold,the boy shouted further information.
"No, the boss ain't back yet. He'll be in any minute now. Sam's gonefor the fire-engine. He thinks the house will be safe if the wind don'tveer. But the other side'll be burnt out before he gets back at thisrate. We've got most all the animals out now though."
"Not all?" Maud cried the words with a momentary wild misgiving.
The boy yelled back again, still wrestling with the struggling horse."All but The Hundredth Chance. He's gone by this time. We couldn'tsave 'im. It's like an open furnace along there."
Then she knew what it was that lay before her, the task for which thisgreat new strength had been bestowed. She left the boy and ran up theyard in the rear of that raging fire. She did not feel the stones underher feet. The seething crowd of men and horses became no more thanshadows on the wall. Twice as she went she narrowly escaped death fromthe plunging hoofs, and knew it not....
The heat was terrific, but the smoke was all blown away from her. Shefelt no suffocation. But when she reached the stone passage that led tothe group of loose-boxes where once she had stood horror-stricken andlistened to Jake reprimanding Dick Stevens in the language of thestables, she realized the truth of what the boy had said. It was likean open furnace.
Yet there seemed a chance--the faintest chance--that that one loose-boxat the southern corner, the best loose-box in the whole of theStables--might yet be untouched by the devouring flames. The block ofbuildings was alight and burning fiercely, but it was not yet alightfrom end to end. It looked like a lane of fire at the end of that stonepassage, but she could see the line of loose-boxes beyond, fitfullythrough wreaths of smoke. All the doors stood open as far as she couldsee. They had evidently taken the animals in order, and it had been thefate of The Hundredth Chance to be left till last.
And how to reach him! It had baffled his rescuers. For the moment itbaffled her also. She stood at the entrance to the stone passagelooking through, feeling the stones under her feet hot like a grid,seeing the red flames leaping from roof to roof.
Then the driving wind came swirling behind her, and she felt as if ahand had pushed her. She plunged into the passage and ran before it.
She emerged in that lane of fire. It roared all around her. She feltthe heat envelop her with a fiery, blistering intensity, but ever thatunseen hand seemed to urge her. She hesitated no more, though she rushedinto a seething cauldron of flame.
And ever the thought of Jake was with her, Jake who loved his ani
mals ashe loved nothing else on earth.
She reached that line of boxes, how she knew not. The roof was burningnow from end to end, but as she tore past the open doors there came toher an awful cry, and she knew that the colt still lived.
The smoke came down on her here, blinding her, but though it stopped herbreath it could not stop her progress. It seemed as though no power onearth could do that now until she had reached her goal. Crouching, withlungs that felt like bursting, she forced a way over those lastdesperate yards.
Every door was open save that one, and against that one there came amaddened wild tattoo. The Hundredth Chance was fighting for life.
She reached the door through swirling smoke. The flames were shootingover her head. She caught at the bolt. It was burning hot as the doorof an oven; but she knew no pain. She dragged it back.
Again there came that fearful shriek and the battering of heels againstthe wood. The animal was plunging about his prison like a mad thing.She mustered all her strength and pushed upper and lower doors inwardsat the same moment.
Instantly there came the rush of hoofs. She was flung violentlybackwards, falling headlong on the stones. The Hundredth Chancegalloped free; and she was left shattered, inert, with the fire ragingall around her.
But the deed was done, the great task accomplished. And nothing matteredany more. Jake loved his animals as he loved nothing else on earth....
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