its ardent breath. Sparks were falling about them in red-hot showers
and already some of the brush in their vicinity was beginning to
smoke. Soon it would burst into flame and then they were doomed.

Feverishly they worked and soon had the two trunks lashed together
firmly with long "lianas" or creepers of tough fibre that grew in
great profusion everywhere. The work of getting the trunks into the
water was, thanks to the natural rollers, not so hard as might have
been anticipated. Ben and Frank managed the placing of the rollers,
which were carried in front of the logs as fast as its hinder end
cleared some of them. In this manner their "raft," if such it could be
called, was soon afloat.

It seemed a terribly insecure contrivance with which to risk a voyage,
but they had no choice. The whole island, except the spot in which
they had worked, was now one raging furnace, and had their situation
not been so critical, the party would have been compelled to admire
the wild magnificence of the spectacle. Great red tongues of flame
shot up through the blanket of dark smoke, dying it crimson.
Occasionally there would be a dull crash as some huge forest monarch
fell prostrate, or the dying scream of some creature overtaken by the
flames rang out.

"Quick, onto the raft," shouted Frank as the clumsy craft floated at
last.

It did not take the adventurers long to follow his directions. The
heat from the fire was now intense and they lost no time in putting
the two branches they had cut to use as paddles into action. It was
hard work but they found to their delight that their raft moved when