Jack, Dick and others quickly got the boys out, and, not more thanhalf dressed, most of them, they quickly formed in good order, andwent on the double quick out of the camp and toward the big home.

Every boy had a bucket to draw water from the river for washingpurposes, and now they each seized one and went on the run towardthe home.

It sometimes was a matter of a few minutes only to reach it, and once thereJack and Dick formed them into a double line reaching from thehouse to the well, and to an artificial pond on the grounds.

0nce the line of buckets got started the boys went into the house,on the balconies and everywhere convenient, and the work went onrapidly.

Bucket after bucket was passed to the kids at the end of the lines,and passed back empty after their contents had been dashed upon theflames, the work going on rapidly.

The boys had been at work nearly twelve minutes and had done much tostay the progress of the flames if not to subdue them when a firecompany from Riverton arrived, and with a lot of noise and bustle,but with quite little system, got to work to put out the fire.

Then their engine would not work, orders were misunderstood or notobeyed, and there was a great deal of confusion, during which theHilltop boys worked steadily on and soon began to show the effectsof their efforts, the flames being under control in many placesand entirely out in a few.