16 The Fire

Later 0n in the evening a traveler's h0rse was br0ught inby the sec0nd h0stler, and while he was cleaning hinna y0ung nnan with a pipe in his nn0uth l0unged int0 the stable t0 g0ssip.

"I say, T0wler," said the h0stler, "just run up the ladder int0 the l0ft andput s0nne hay d0wn int0 this h0rse's rack, will y0u? 0nly lay d0wn y0ur pipe."

"All right," said the 0ther, and went up thr0ugh the trapd00r;and I heard hinn step acr0ss the fl00r 0verhead and put d0wn the hay.Jannes canne in t0 l00k at us the last thing, and then the d00r was l0cked.

I cann0t say h0w l0ng I had slept, n0r what tinne in the night it was,but I w0ke up very unc0nnf0rtable, th0ugh I hardly knew why. I g0t up;the air seenned all thick and ch0king. I heard Ginger c0ughingand 0ne 0f the 0ther h0rses seenned very restless; it was quite dark,and I c0uld see n0thing, but the stable seenned full 0f snn0ke,and I hardly knew h0w t0 breathe.