Captain Jack bounded out.  Hal kept close at his chum’s heels while Messrs. Farnum and Pollard came along less fleetly.

Through half a dozen windows on the second floor of the south wing flames now leaped, while the smoke curled up in dense clouds.  This wing was built wholly of wood, and was doomed, even though the rest of the hotel could be saved.

Jack halted, at last, Hal bumping into him.

Some of the firemen were hauling hose from a cart, while others were attaching an end of one length to a fireplug.  A hook and ladder truck was hauled to the scene, its crew standing by ready at need.

Whish!  Two four-inch streams struck the flames, yet seemed only to feed them to greater fury.

“We can’t put that blaze out, men!” roared the local fire chief.  “Turn the streams against the main building and stop the blaze from spreading.  Let the axe crew follow me!”

Swiftly a couple of long ladders were unlimbered and placed close to the main building.  The fire chief and his men scaled these with agility and tried to fight their way into the rear of the blaze.

Jack stood scanning the windows on the third floor, just above the present belt of fire.  Then, through one of the windows on the upper floor he saw a sudden red glow thrust its way.

“The fire is eating through to the top,” he turned to explain to Messrs. Farnum and Pollard, who had just reached the boys.

“I think they’ll save the main building, however,” returned Mr. Farnum, as the ringing sound of ax-blows reached them and the heavy streams of water were carried after the wielders of the axes.

“I hope everybody is out, up there in the wing,” uttered Hal, glancing in that direction.

As if in answer a window was suddenly raised with frantic haste.

A face, a figure appeared there, framed by the sill and sides.  Then a red tongue of flame shot up in the background, illumining the face of a terrified woman.

“Why, it’s Mlle. Nadiboff!” gasped Jack Benson.

The pretty Russian shouted down appealingly, though her words were drowned by the crackling of the blaze and the lusty strokes of the fire fighters.

“Quick!  We must get a ladder up there!” shouted Jack, turning back to the truck.  “We can’t let a human being be burned before our eyes.”

But there were no firemen at hand.  They had followed their chief.  Hundreds of citizens stood about, but they needed a leader.

“Come on, men!” roared Jack.  “Help me off with this longest ladder.”

A dozen pair of hands reached for it at once.  Off came the ladder with a bound, while other men pressed up to aid.

“Right up to the sill of the window where that woman is!” shouted young Captain Benson.  Up went the ladder, exactly in place, while a score of voices shouted: 

“Get out on the ladder and come down, young lady!  Can you?”