ROBERT’S CLEARING. 79

she smoke would go. He found that it was drift-
ing off slowly away from the heap of bushes.

« Now, we'll try it on the other side,” said he.
He tried to take up his piece of bark, but he
could not. It had curled itself up in a curious
manner, and was all enveloped in flame. So he
took another piece, and lighted it, and carried that
around to the other side of the heap. He. put it
in just under the edge of the branches. The
smoke curled up among the branches and leaves,
and they were all very much pleased to observe,
that, instead of sailing off, as it had done on the
other side, away from the heap, it passed directly
through the centre; and in a few minutes it filled
the whole heap with smoke, which issued out all
over the top of it, as if it was all on fire under-
neath.

“Yes,” said Robert, “Vl move my kindling
wood round to this side.”

So he brought his logs round one by one.
They were pretty large, but, being much decayed,
they were not heavy. Robert piled them. to-
gether in as close and compact a manner as pos-
sible; for he said it was necessary to make a
solid fire.

“ Why don’t you set the bushes on fire, just
as they are?” asked Lucy’s mother.