Fighting the Flames

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER FOUR.

  A FIERCE FIGHT WITH THE FLAMES.

  When the small boy--whose name, it may be as well to mention, wasWilliam (_alias_ Willie) Willders--saw the fire-engine start, as hasbeen already described, his whole soul yearned to follow it, for, in thecourse of his short life, he had never succeeded in being at thebeginning of a fire, although he had often been at the middle and end ofone--not a very difficult thing in London, by the way, seeing that thereare, on the average, between four and five fires every twenty-fourhours!

  Willie Willders was of an enquiring disposition. He wanted to know howthings were managed at a fire, from the beginning to the end, and hefound that the course of true inquiry, like another course we wot of,never did run smooth.

  Poor Willie's heart was with that engine, but his legs were not. Theydid their best, but they failed, strong and active though they were, tokeep up with the horses. So Willie heaved a bursting sigh and slackenedhis speed--as he had often done before in similar circumstances--resolving to keep it in sight as long as he could, and trust to hiseyesight and to the flames "showing a light" for the rest.

  Just as he came to this magnanimous resolve, a strapping young gentlemancalled a passing cab, leaped in, ordered the driver to follow theengine, and offered double fare if he should keep it in view up to thefire.

  Willie, being sharp as a needle, at once stepped forward and made asthough he would open the door for the gentleman. The youth was alreadyin and the door shut, but he smiled as he shouted to the driver, "Allright!" and tossed a copper to Willie, with the remark, "There, youscamp!" The copper fell in the mud, and there Willie left it, as hedoubled nimbly behind the vehicle, and laid hold of it.

  The cabman did his best to earn his double fare, and thus it came topass that Willie was in time to see the firemen commencing work.

  As the young man leaped from the cab he uttered a cry of surprise andalarm, and rushed towards the crowd of firemen nearest to the burninghouse without paying his fare. Willie was a little astonished at this,but losing sight of the youth in the crowd, and seeing nothing more ofhim at that time, he became engrossed in other matters.

  There were so many men on the ground, however--for just then a thirdengine dashed up to the scene of conflagration--that it was difficultfor the excited boy to appreciate fully what he saw. He got as close tothe engine, however, as the policemen would allow him, and observed thata fire-plug had been already opened, and over it had been placed acanvas cistern of about a yard long by eighteen inches broad, stretchedon an iron frame. The cistern was filled with water to overflowing, andthe first engine had placed its suction-pipe in it, while from the frontof the engine extended the leathern hose that conveyed the water to theburning house.

  Willie was deeply interested in this, and was endeavouring to solvecertain knotty points in his own mind, when they were suddenly solvedfor him by a communicative dustman who stood in the crowd close by, andthus expounded the matter to his inquisitive son.

  "You see, Tommy, the use o' the cistern is hobvious. See, here's 'ow itlies. If an ingin comes up an screwges its suction on to the plug, allthe other ingins as comes after it has to stan' by an' do nuffin. Butby puttin' the cistern over the plug an' lettin' it fill, another inginor mabbe two more, can ram in its suction and drink away till it's fitto burst, d'ye see."

  Willie drank in the information with avidity, and then turned hisattention to the front of the engine, to which several lengths of hose,each forty feet long, had been attached. Baxmore and Corney were at theextreme end, screwing on the "branch" or nozzle by which the stream ofwater is directed, and Dale was tumbling a half-drunk and riotous navvyhead-over-heels into the crowd, in order to convince him that hisservices to pump were not wanted--a sufficient number having beenprocured. A couple of policemen walked this navvy quietly from thescene, as Dale called out:

  "Down with her, boys!"

  "Pump away, lads!" said one of the firemen, interpreting.

  The volunteers bent their backs, and the white clouds of steam thatissued from the burning house showed that the second engine was doingits work well.

  Immediately after, Dale and his men, with the exception of thoserequired to attend the engine and the "branch," were ordered to get outthe ladders.

  He who gave this order was a tall, sinewy man, middle-aged apparently,and of grave demeanour. His dress was similar to that of the otherfiremen, but there was an air of quiet unobtrusive authority about him,which showed that he was a leader.

  "We might get on the roof now, Mr Braidwood," suggested Dale, touchinghis helmet as he addressed the well-known chief of the LondonFire-Engine Establishment.

  "Not yet, Dale, not yet," said Braidwood; "get inside and see if you cantouch the fire through the drawing-room floor. It's just fallen in."

  Dale and his men at once entered the front door of the building,dragging the branch and hose along with them, and were lost in smoke.

  Previous to the arrival of the fire-engines, however, a scene had beenenacted which Willie Willders had not witnessed. A fire-escape wasfirst to reach the burning house. This was then, and still is, usuallythe case, owing to the fact that escapes are far more numerous in Londonthan engines, so that the former, being always close at hand, oftenaccomplish their great work of saving life before the engines make theirappearance.

  The escape in the immediate neighbourhood of Beverly Square was underthe charge of Conductor Samuel Forest, a man who, although young, hadalready saved many lives, in the service of the Society for theProtection of Life from Fire.

  When Forest reached the field of action, Mr James Auberly was seen atan upper window in a state of undignified _dishabille_, shouting forhelp, and half suffocated with smoke, with Mrs Rose hanging round hisneck on one side and Matty Merryon at the other. Poor Auberly, havingtried the staircase on the first alarm, was driven back by smoke, andrushed wildly to the window, where the two domestics, descending interror from their attic, clung to him and rendered him powerless.

  Forest at once pitched his escape--which was just a hugescientifically-constructed ladder, set on wheels. The head of itreached to the windows of the second floor. By pulling a rope attachedto a lever, he raised a second ladder of smaller size, which was fittedto the head of the large one. The top of this second ladder was nearlysixty feet from the ground, and it reached the window at which MrAuberly was still shouting. Forest at once sprang up.

  "Leave me; save the women," gasped Auberly, as a man entered the room,but the dense smoke overpowered him as he spoke, and he fell forward.The women also sank to the ground.

  Forest instantly seized Mrs Rose in his powerful arms, and hurryingdown the ladder to the top of the escape, put her into the canvas troughor sack which was suspended below the ladder all the way. Down this sheslid somewhat violently but safely to the ground, while Forest ran upagain and rescued Matty in the same way. Mr Auberly was more difficultto manage, being a heavy man, and his rescuer was almost overpowered bythe thick smoke in the midst of which all this was done. He succeeded,however, but fainted on reaching the ground.

  It was at this point that the first engine arrived, and only a fewminutes elapsed when the second made its appearance, followed by the cabfrom which the young man leapt with the exclamation of surprise andalarm that had astonished Willie Willders.

  Pushing his way to the place where Mr Auberly and the others lay, theyouth fell on his knees. "My father!" he exclaimed wildly.

  "He's all right, lad," said Mr Braidwood, coming up at that moment, andlaying his hand kindly on the youth's shoulder; "he's only choked withsmoke, and will be better in a minute. Any more in the house?" he addedquickly.

  Young Auberly leaped up with a shout.

  "My sister! is she not saved? Are _all_ here?"

  He waited not for a reply, but in another moment was on the fire-escape.

  "After him, two of you," said Braidwood, turning to his men.

  Two at once obeyed. In fact, they had leaped forward
almost before thebrief command was uttered. One of these firemen was conspicuous for hisheight and strength. He was first up the ladder. Close upon himfollowed Baxmore with a lantern.

  Nothing but smoke had yet reached the room into which young Auberlyentered, so that he instantly found himself in impenetrable darkness,and was almost choked as well as blinded.

  "Have a care, Frank; the floor must be about gone by this time," saidBaxmore, as he ran after his tall comrade.

  The man whom he called Frank knew this. He also knew that it was notlikely any one had been left in the room from which the master of thehouse had been rescued, and he thought it probable that his daughterwould occupy a room on the same floor with her father. Acting on thissupposition, and taking for granted that the room they were about toenter was Mr Auberly's bedroom, the tall fireman dashed at once throughthe smoke, and tumbled over the prostrate form of young Auberly.

  "Look after him, Baxmore," he gasped, as he seized the lamp from hiscomrade's hand, and darted across the room and out into the passage,where he went crash against a door and burst it open. Here the smokewas not so dense, so that he could breathe, though with difficulty.

  One glance showed him where the bed was. He felt it. A female form waslying on it. The light weight and the long hair which swept across hisface as he raised it gently but swiftly on his shoulder, told him thatit was that of a girl.

  At that moment he heard a loud shout from the crowd, which was followedby a crash. Dashing once more across the passage, he saw that a luridflame was piercing the smoke in the other room. The staircase he knewwas impassable; probably gone by that time; but he had not time tothink, so he drew the blanket over the girl's head and bounded towardsthe window. There was a feeling of softness under his feet, as if thefloor were made of pasteboard. He felt it sinking beneath him. Down itwent, just as he laid hold of the head of the fire-escape, from which hehung suspended in the midst of the smoke and sparks that rose from thefalling ruin.

  Strong though the young fireman was, he could not raise himself by onearm, while the other was twined round Louisa Auberly. At that moment,Baxmore, having carried young Auberly down in safety, again ascended andappeared at the window. He seized Frank by the hair of the head.

  "Let go my hair, and catch the girl!" shouted Frank.

  "All right," said Baxmore, seizing Loo and lifting her over the windowsill.

  Frank being thus relieved, swung himself easily on the sill, andgrasping Loo once more, descended to the street, where he was met by MrAuberly, who had recovered from his state of partial suffocation, andwho seized his child and hurried with her into a neighbouring house.Thither he was followed by Mrs Rose and Matty, who had also recovered.

  During these episodes, the firemen had continued at their work with cooland undistracted attention. And here the value of organisation wasstrikingly and beautifully brought out; for, while the crowd swayed toand fro, now breathless with anxiety lest the efforts of the boldconductor of the fire-escape should fail; anon wild with excitement andloud in cheers when he succeeded, each fireman paid devoted andexclusive attention to his own prescribed piece of duty, as if nothingelse were going on around him, and did it with all his might--wellknowing that every other piece of work was done, or point of dangerguarded, by a comrade, while the eagle eyes of Mr Braidwood and his notless watchful foremen superintended all, observed and guided, as itwere, the field of battle.

  And truly, good generalship was required, for the foe was fierce andfurious. The "devouring element" rushed onward like a torrent. Thehouse was large and filled with rich furniture, which was luxurious foodfor the flames as they swept over the walls, twined round thebalustrades, swallowed the paintings, devoured the woodwork, and meltedthe metal in their dread progress. But the foe that met them was, onthis occasion, more than a match for the flames. It was a hand-to-handencounter. The men followed them foot by foot, inch by inch--sometimesalmost singeing their beards or being well-nigh choked and blinded bydense volumes of smoke, but, if driven back, always returning to thecharge. The heat at times beat on their helmets so fiercely that theywere forced to turn their faces aside and half-turn their backs on thefoe, but they _always_ kept their weapons--the "branches"--to the front,and continued to discharge upon him tons and tons of aqueous artillery.

  "Get up to the windows now; use the escape," said Mr Braidwood; and ashe said this he passed through the doorway of the burning house.

  Some of the men rushed up the escape and let down a line, to which oneof the branches was made fast.

  "Avast pumpin', number two!" shouted Baxmore from the midst of clouds ofsmoke that were bursting out from the window.

  Number two engine was stopped. Its branch was pulled up and pointedinside _straight at the fire_; the signal given, "Down with number two!"and a hiss was followed by volumes of steam.

  The work of extinction had at last begun in real earnest. As long asthey could only stand in the street and throw water in through thewindows at haphazard, they might or might not hit the fire--and at allevents they could not attack its strong points; but now, Baxmore at onewindow, and one of the men of the first engine at another, playedpoint-blank into the flames, and, wherever the water hit, they wereextinguished. Presently they got inside and began to be able to seethrough the smoke; a blue glimmer became visible, the branch waspointed, and it was gone. By this time the second floor had partlygiven way, and fire was creeping down the rafters to the eaves of thehouse. Baxmore observed this; and pointed the branch straight up. Thefire at that part was put out, and a heavy shower of water fell back onthe fireman, drenching him to the skin.

  The attack had now become general. The firemen swarmed in at the doorsand windows the moment that it was possible for a human being to breathethe smoke and live. One of the engines attached two additional lengthsof hose, dragged the branch through the first floor to the back of thehouse, got upon an outhouse, in at a back window, and attacked the foein rear. On the roof, Frank and Dale were plying their hatchets, theirtall figures sharply defined against the wintry sky, and looking moregigantic than usual. The enemy saved them the trouble of cuttingthrough, however, for it suddenly burst upwards, and part of the rooffell in. It would certainly have taken Frank prisoner had not Dalecaught him by the collar, and dragged him out of danger. Instantly abranch was pointed downwards, and the foe was beaten back; from above,below, before, and behind, it was now met with deluges of water, whichfell on the shoulders of the men in the lower floor in a continuous hotshower, while they stood ankle-deep in hot water.

  In ten minutes after this the fire was effectually subdued, the lowerfloor having been saved, although its contents were severely damaged bywater.

  It was only necessary now, that one of the engines should remain for atime, to make good the victory. The others rolled up their hose, andprepared to depart. The King Street engine was the first to quit thefield of battle. While the men were getting ready, Mr Auberly, muffledin a long cloak, stepped from the crowd and touched Frank, the tallfireman, on the shoulder.

  "Sir," said he in a low voice, "you saved my child. I would show mysense of gratitude. Will you accept of this purse?"

  Frank shook his head and a smile played on his smoke-begrimedcountenance as he said:

  "No, Mr Auberly. I am obliged to you, but I cannot accept of it. I donot want it, and besides, the men of the brigade are not allowed to takemoney."

  "But you will let me do something for you?" urged Mr Auberly. "Isthere nothing that I can do?"

  "Nothing, sir," said Frank. He paused for a moment, and thenresumed--"Well, there _is_ something that perhaps you could do, sir. Ihave a little brother out of employment; if you could get him asituation, sir."

  "I will," said Mr Auberly with emotion. "Send him to me on Thursdayforenoon. He will find me living next door to my--to my late home. Ishall stay with a friend there for some time. Good-night."

  "Men of King Street engine get up," cried Dale. "Stay--what is yourname?
" said Mr Auberly turning round.

  But Frank was gone. He had leaped to his place on the engine and wasoff at a rattling pace through the now silent and deserted streets ofthe sleeping city.

  Although they drove on at great speed there was no shouting now, forneither 'bus, cab, nor foot-passenger blocked up the way, and the men,begrimed with smoke and charcoal, wet, and weary with two hours ofalmost uninterrupted labour of a severe as well as dangerous character,sat or stood in their places in perfect silence.

  On reaching the fire-station they leaped to the ground, and all wentquickly and silently to their neighbouring homes and beds, except thetwo men on duty. These, changing their coats and boots, lay down on thetrestles, and at once fell fast asleep--the engine and horses havingbeen previously housed--and then Dale sat down to make an entry of theevent in his day-book.

  The whole thing might have been only a vivid dream, so silent was theroom and so devoid of any evidence of recent excitement, while thereigning tranquillity was enhanced rather than decreased by the softbreathing of the sleepers, the ticking of the clock, and the scratchingof Dale's pen as he briefly recorded the facts of the fire that night inBeverly Square.