for the fire spreads through these dried-up houses as if they were built
of straw."

The sailors labored hard, and they worked their way from house to house;
but the flames followed as fast; and at last, almost choked by smoke and
dust, Dick said:

"Quick, my men, knock off some tiles, and get on the roof, or we shall be
burned like rats in a trap. This side, the furthest from the street."

The tiles gave way readily; and each man thrust his head out through the
hole he had made, for a breath of fresh air. In a minute all were on the
roof.

"Crouch down, lads; keep on this side of the roof; people are not likely
to be looking out for us this side, they will be too busy moving their
furniture. Move on, boys; the fire is spreading now pretty nearly as fast
as we can scramble along."

It was already a great fire; down both the lanes at whose junction the
house first fired stood, the flames had spread rapidly, and leaping across
the narrow streets had seized the opposite houses. Already fifty or sixty
houses were in a blaze, although it was not five minutes from the
beginning of the fire.

"There is a cross lane about ten houses ahead, Dick," Ned said.

"We will stick on the last house as long as we can, Ned, and then slide
down by the rope on to that outhouse. They are too busy now with their own
affairs to think about us; besides, they suppose we are dead long ago, and