“Make the fire on the windward side,” said Jonas.
“Which is the windward side?” said James.
“The side that the wind blows against,” replied Jonas.
“Yes,” said Rollo, speaking to James, “we have got our fire on the wrong side. Let us move it round to the other side, and the wind will blow it for us.”
So they took up their brands, and put them upon the other side of the heap. The wind fanned them a little, but did not make them blaze.
“Just put some dry pieces on,” said Jonas, “and leave them. As soon as they get heated a little, they’ll blaze.”
The boys followed Jonas’s direction, and, after putting a few dry pieces upon the smoking brands, they left this heap, and went to another; though they had first to go back to one which was on fire, and get some more brands.
“How do you set them on fire so fast, Jonas?” said Rollo.
“Why, I don’t stop to watch them,” said Jonas, “to see them burn. I put a brand down upon the windy side of the heap, and then cover it with dry pieces, and leave it, and let it burn up in its own time. It will burn as soon as it has time to get heated.”
“Yes, James,” said Rollo; “my father explained it to me. When wood gets heated above a certain point of heat, it takes fire. Sulphur takes fire before it gets heated so hot.”
“O Jonas,” said Rollo, “why didn’t you pile up this heap?”
Rollo had come to a place where there was a long log lying upon the ground, broken to pieces and decayed, and near it several fragments of roots and stumps scattered around.
“O, come away, come away from there, Rollo,” said Jonas; “there is a wasp’s nest there.”
Rollo and James ran off back towards Jonas.
“Yes,” said Jonas. “I began to pile up that wood, and heard a buzzing under the log; and I looked down, and saw some wasps buzzing about a hole. We must burn up the wasp’s nest.”
“Well,” said Rollo, “come and do it now.”
Jonas was coming to burn up the wasp’s nest; but, as he was passing along towards it, his attention was suddenly arrested at seeing that the flames from one of the fires were beginning to spread rapidly upon the ground. There was quite a large circle in the grass, which had been burned over and blackened, and, at the outer edges of it, the flames were still spreading rapidly,—driven by the wind.