Dan Carter And The Haunted Castle Part 19

With it, they beat at the flames which were moving steadily closer to the stone building. Seeking to add their bit, Dan and Brad took turns carrying water from the well.

The pit was shallow. By attaching a rope to the bucket handle they could lower and dip the container. The work, however, was slow and discouraging.

"We need a dozen buckets to make any progress," Dan declared, thoroughly disheartened. "Brad, it's no use!"

"Yes, it is!" the older boy encouraged him. "Isn't that a car coming this way?"

"It looks like Mr. Hatfield's automobile!" Dan agreed, straightening up.

"Oh, I hope he brought buckets!"

The boys ran to meet the car. Mr. Hatfield and a neighbor sprang out, and began to unload fire extinguishers. Chips and Red piled out of the back seat.

"Jeepers!" the latter exclaimed. "How did that start?"

Without answering, Brad demanded if the fire fighters had brought buckets.

"You'll find several in the rear compartment of the car," Mr. Hatfield instructed him. "Some spades, old blankets and everything I could get on short order. Mr. Holloway is following with more helpers and equipment.

Without water though, there's not much we can do."

"We've found a well," Brad told him. "I don't know how long the water will last though."

Mr. Hatfield and his neighbor seized fire extinguishers and joined the toiling linesmen. He ordered the Cubs, directed by Brad, to carry water.

"But don't get too close to the fire," he warned. "Your job is just to keep those buckets moving."

With the additional supply of buckets, and other Cubs to help, Brad and Dan were able to keep a fairly steady flow of water in the hands of the fire fighters.

The smoke remained dense. But as Dan carried his fifth bucket of water, he noticed that the fire line among the trees had receded.

"We're making a little progress," Mr. Hatfield exclaimed jubilantly. "If the water only holds out we may win!"

In an endeavor to prevent the fire from spreading toward the Castle, the men had dug a narrow, wide trench.

As Brad earlier had noted, the fire, though widespread, had so far fed itself only on dry gra.s.s and brush. The fighters became increasingly hopeful that it could be put out before the trees ignited.

Within ten minutes Mr. Holloway arrived, bringing more equipment and extra helpers. In addition to two men, Midge and Ross Langdon were with him.

"Golly!" the latter exclaimed as he saw the black smoke. "Look at 'er burn!"

The remark infuriated Dan.

"And whose fault is it?" he demanded, wiping a smudge off his cheek. "If you had cleaned away the brush the way you were supposed to, the fire wouldn't have spread so fast."

"I did clean it up," Ross said defiantly.

"When?"

"Last night."

"All by yourself?"

"All by myself," Ross repeated. "I worked nearly two hours and half killed myself."

Dan allowed the matter to pa.s.s. Ross might be telling the truth. Since he claimed to have worked alone, no one could prove or disprove his a.s.sertion. In any case, it didn't much matter now, for the damage had been done.

"Grab a bucket, and get to work!" he advised. "It's going to be nip and tuck to check that fire."

For once, Ross made no protest at being asked to work. He seized the bucket and ran back with Dan to the old well.

Brad had just raised another bucketful which was only a little over half-filled.

"The water level is going down fast," he said. "I don't know if we'll have enough to see this thing through."

"The fire's almost licked," Dan encouraged the others. "More help is coming too."

Smoke had drawn a number of motorists and nearby residents to the scene.

Many of the curious had remained to help.

The Cubs carried water until they no longer could get enough out of the well to make it worth while. But by that time, the fire definitely was under control. Beating at the flames with blankets and canvas, the men finally were able to extinguish the last spark.

"We've done it!" Mr. Hatfield exclaimed, sinking down on the gra.s.s to rest. "Dan, if that fire had had another ten minutes start, we never could have saved the Castle."

"I wonder how it started?" the boy remarked.

"That's what I was asking myself. I hope-" Mr. Hatfield did not finish what he had intended to say.

Dan, however, guessed at his thought.

"You hope it wasn't one of the Cubs," he completed with a questioning inflection.

"I started to say that, Dan. Then I realized that the remark would be unfair. None of the Cubs were out here today until you and Brad spotted the fire."

"Not so far as I know," Dan agreed. "Last night-"

This time it was the boy who did not finish his sentence. It struck him that it would be very disloyal even to hint that Ross might have been responsible for the fire. Certainly he had no proof that the Den 1 boy had been careless in clearing away brush.

"Well, we've saved the Castle and we can be proud of ourselves," Mr.

Hatfield declared, getting up from the ground. "The Cubs really pitched in."

Brad and Dan asked the Cub leader how much damage had been done.

"It's hard to tell," Mr. Hatfield replied. "Some of the shrubs have been killed. But I don't believe many of the trees have been damaged. As soon as the smoke clears a little, we'll make a thorough check."

Brad had noticed a familiar automobile driving into the grounds.

"We'll have a little help too," he muttered uncomfortably. "See who's here now!"

Dan and Mr. Hatfield turned around to see that it was Mr. Kain, the bank employee, who had arrived.