As has been stated, the fury of the conflagration had expended itself,
and there was nothing to be feared from the scorching flames, which had
confronted and endangered them shortly after they entered the woods, on
their return.
The road was strewn with burning debris, and many a time they were
forced to stop, in doubt whether they could get by the obstruction but
some way always opened: they would find a point where it could be
leaped, or they would flank it by a little circuit through the woods
themselves.
In this manner they toiled on until half the distance was passed, when
they were brought to a stand-still by a discovery which took away their
breath for the time.
They saw the ruins of something which they did not recognize until they
drew near, when they discovered that an ordinary farmer's wagon, with
its two horses, had been burned. Little more than the iron work of the
body was left, and the animals seemed to have gone down side by side,
where they lay burned and burst open by the flames, that were less
merciful to them than to the brother and sister who had made such a
gallant fight for life.
The sight was sad enough, but it was rendered tenfold more so by the
figure of the driver, only a few rods distant. When his team gave out he
had probably leaped to the ground and started to run from the fire, but
was overtaken and perished miserably.
"How thankful we ought to be!" said Nellie, in a subdued voice, as they
moved forward again.
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