“Do you mean that there are no regularly organized companies here, to take charge of engines?” I asked.

“There are no engines nor companies, to my knowledge,” Smith answered, after a moment’s thought.

“Then how do you arrest conflagrations like the present?” I asked.

“Well, we send for the police,” he answered, with a laugh.

“Pshaw!” I replied, impatiently, “this is no time for joking.  Your city is burning down, and I do not hear the first effort to extinguish the flames.”

“But I do.  Hark! do you not hear that trumpet?”

We all listened, and loud above the roaring of the flames, which were filling the sky with showers of sparks, and dark, pall-like clouds of smoke, we heard the shrill tones of a trumpet.

“What is the meaning of that blast?” I asked.

“It means that the soldiers are marching to the scene of the conflagration,” rejoined Smith, promptly.

“Ah, then they are to lend their aid in suppressing the flames?”

“They merely go for the purpose of seeing the building burn,” replied Smith, laconically.

“Explain yourself,” I cried, impatiently.

“I will.  They are marched to the fire simply for the purpose of being drawn up in a line, and keeping people, who are disposed to work, away from the flames.”

I looked at Smith’s face, to see if he was not joking; but no, he was perfectly serious, and I began to have doubts about the ability of the Australians to subdue a conflagration under such difficulties.

“Then nothing is done by the thousands of people standing idly by, witnessing the destruction of property?” I asked.

“Well, sometimes I’ve known water-carts to bring water from the river, and then a few adventurous fellows will offer to throw it on to the fire.  But the carts are not always to be depended upon.”

“Let us go and see what we can do, Fred,” I exclaimed, after the above explanation; and although Smith told us we had better remain in the house, for we should get no thanks or credit for our readiness to assist, yet we did not heed his advice, and when he saw that we were determined to go, he grumblingly offered to accompany us.

I locked the hound in the house, much against the animal’s will, and then we started for the scene of the conflagration.  On our way, we met and overtook hundreds of people bound on the same errand as ourselves; but to our surprise, they manifested no show of excitement, and appeared to regard the fire as a matter of course.

We hurried through the streets until we reached the thoroughfare in which the conflagration was raging.  A long line of soldiers was drawn up to prevent people from approaching within twenty or thirty rods of the fire, and within the circle which they formed, were mounted policemen with drawn sabres.