Beth gazed around her helplessly.  She felt as if there was no escape for them from a fiery death, which made her heartily repentant that she had come.  She silently prayed to God to deliver them, and vowed if she lived, never, never to do anything again without her mother’s knowledge.

The awfulness of their surroundings and the enormity of his responsibility, came upon Harvey with overwhelming force.  He was too horrified for speech, and, for a few seconds, too stunned for action.

On rushed the triumphant flames, blasting everything within range.  The hot breath from the fire recalled Harvey to the need of action.

“Oh, Beth, how can I get you out of this horrible place?  We are surrounded by fire.”  Then, in a moment, he added, “I see a way out, if we run.”

He caught her hand and half-dragged her through scorching shrubs, circling to the left.  Fortunately, they managed to reach a road skirting the woods without serious injury.

Here they saw excited men running towards the woods.  “It will burn our homes, our all,” they heard one cry.  “Our one hope is to start counter fires,” another cried.

At the word, to the horror of Beth who did not understand, the men set fire to the low palmettoes a short distance away where there was an open space.

It seemed wicked to her to set more trees on fire, especially when the men seemed so anxious about their homes burning.

“Let’s go,” she sobbed.

Harvey held his head high.  “No, indeed, I won’t go.  If their houses burn, it’s my fault.  I have some money in the bank and I’ll give them every cent of it.  They look like poor fishermen.  Oh, Beth, it’s too terrible.  See how high the flames go.”

Up, up, they leaped, growing higher and more fierce every moment.  The sparks flew inland.  If some change did not occur, no power under the sun could save the poor fishermen’s homes.

The two poor, forlorn little culprits waited in the roadway and watched the progress of the awful flames.

The two fires looked like immense dragons that were rushing at each other in uncontrolled fury.  The sparks flew right and left, but the counter fire served its purpose somewhat in that part of the flames’ force was spent upon the other.

The fires crackled and hissed, and to Harvey these were the voices of the dragons defying and mocking him.  To him they said: 

“What can you do to stop us?  Nothing.  Yes, you may well tremble.  It was you, you alone, that set us monsters free and we will not be chained now that we are loose.”  Upward the fire dragons flew, and even as they sank down somewhat, their mocking did not cease.

“Counter fires may check us momentarily, but presently we will sweep upwards and devour the fishermen’s huts in our fiery grasp.  It is awful to you, but to us it is fun, fun, fun, and we will not be stopped.  Look at us.  Look at us.”