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As the pickup rolled through the gate, Stumpy pointed its nose in the direction of the wash and took off cross-country When they topped a hillock, Chase had his first gli red line of flames that underscored the smoke clouds
Stumpy saw it, too “Jeez, Chase, it’s close to a half-mile wide already”
“And spreading fast”
When they reached the dry wash, Stu its bank until they reached a spot that would be roughly theflames The minute the truck rolled to a halt, Chase piled out of it The srassfire had yet to reach them, but the smell of it was in the air
“Spread out in both directions,” he shouted to the others “We’ll start a backfire on the other side of the wash Don’t let it get away from you”
The dry washbed ran wide for a good distance then narrowed dangerously Coulees e this stretch, two of theroith brush All were critical points, but Chase was more concerned about the south end of the wash He dispatched the pumper truck to that area where water would be their best weapon, maybe their only one
By the time Jessy had arrived on the scene, flarass along the opposite bank At intervals all up and down the wash, men in suits and white shirts worked to keep the backfire contained Most were Triple C hands, but Jessy noticed a few froti over the entire scene, scratching her throat with each breath she took
“What’s the plan?” she asked
“With any luck, the backfire will slow it down and give the fire trucks a chance to get here At best, we’ll force it south, away from headquarters,” Chase replied
A half-dozen pronghorn antelope bounded out of the sot livestock trapped over there,” Jessy realized
“It can’t be helped” Chase threw a look over his shoulder “I told Ballard to load up some horses”
“He’s parked over there” Jessy hooked a thumb in the direction of the stock trailer “I rode with him”
“Get yourself so a sweep Push any cattle you find toward the river I don’t want to lose any more than we have to”
“Right”
Aware that it was a job that didn’t require an experienced hand, Jessy ers on the fire line All were young enough to be glad that a different task had been found for the smoke