As they did so the blaze shone full in their faces, and they saw where
the fire had originated. One of the big lumber barges that plied on
the lake was on fire at the dock, and the flames were blowing right
toward the heart of the yard, with its piles of timber.
"We've got our work cut out for us!" cried Bert.
"We'll have plenty of water, anyhow," shouted back Cole. "My force
pump can be used, too!"
"He'd say something about his force pump if we had a steam fire
engine," murmured Vincent.
"Run her right down, boys," called Bert. "Get as close to the water as
you can!"
The boys picked their way through the piles of lumber. Already several
members of the town bucket brigade were on hand, and they were
standing in the shallow part of the lake, dipping up water in their
pails and dashing the fluid on the blazing barge. "Volunteers this
way!" sung out Bert, and several of his chums, who were already on
hand and waiting, hastened to join their comrades.
But now a new problem was presented. The flames, eating their way
among the dry lumber on the barge, had assumed a fierceness that made
it impossible to run the engine down on the dock.
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