"Let's gallop along, then," suggested Toby Hopkins impulsively. "No
telling when the volunteer firemen will get there, they seem so slow
about gathering, and running their old machine to a blaze. Thank
goodness! we've decided to have an up-to-date fire department in
little old Chester right away. Our town has waked up from her long
sleep, and is beginning to stretch and yawn."

They were already in motion before Toby reached the end of his speech,
running in pretty much of a bunch; just as though it might be a game
of hare-and-hounds that was being started, and the signal had been
given to take up the pursuit.

As they dashed along at quite a good speed, the boys could hear cries
of interest on all sides. People who had retired to their homes, under
the belief that the exciting night's doings were about over, now stood
in open doorways. Questions were flung at the boys as they rushed by,
the burden of these anxious inquiries being as to the location of the
fire.

Of course, as they themselves were still densely ignorant concerning
this, none of the bunch could give any coherent answer; though one
might fling over his shoulder some reassuring words such as:

"Don't know exactly; but it doesn't seem to be in the mill section!"

Doubtless that brought a sense of relief, for whenever there sprang up
a fire in Chester the first fear of everybody was that it might be
among the fine structures clustered closely together, and consisting
of various busy mills and workshops employing hundreds of persons.