Chapter 9
Prairie fire Spring had come.
The warm winds smelled exciting, and the outdoors was large and bright and sweet. Big white clouds were high up in the sky, and you could see their shadows over the prairie.
Pa was working hard, getting ready to plant potatoes. Pet and Patty were working hard, too, pulling the heavy plough. The plough was breaking up the grassy earth, and turning it over. Pa liked the land because it was so rich, and there wasn't a tree or stone in it.
Now many Indians came riding along the Indian trail. Indians were everywhere. Laura could hear their guns in the creeks when they were hunting. Indians often came to the house. Some of them were friendly, and some were not. All of them wanted food and tobacco, and Ma gave them what they wanted. But most of the food in the house was hidden.
Jack was miserable all the time. He was always tied up, and all the time he lay and hated the Indians. Laura and Mary were not surprised to see Indians anymore. But they always felt safer near Pa or Jack.
One day they were helping Ma to get dinner ready. Baby Carrie was playing on the floor in the sun, and suddenly the light was gone.
'I think it's going to rain,' Ma said, looking out the window. Laura looked, too, and saw great black clouds in the south across the sun.
Pet and Patty came running from the field pulling the plough behind them and with Pa running after them.
'Prairie fire!' he shouted. 'Fill the tub with water! Put sacks in it! Hurry!' Ma ran to the well, and Laura pulled the tub to it. Pa put the cows in the barn. Ma started pulling up water as fast as she could. Laura ran to get the sacks from the stable.
The sky was black now in the south, almost as dark as night. Pet and Patty were still pulling the plough, with Pa running behind them. Pa was making a long trench all the way around three sides of the house. He was shouting at the horses to make them hurry. Frightened rabbits came running across the prairie past Pa.
When the trench around the house was finished, Pa tied the horses to the house. The tub was full of water. Laura and Ma pushed the sacks into the water and made them very wet.
'Hurry, Caroline,' Pa shouted. 'The fire's coming faster than a horse can run.'
A big rabbit jumped right over the tub while Pa and Ma were lifting it. Ma told Laura to stay at the house. Pa and Ma carried the heavy tub all the way to the trench.
Laura stayed close to the house. She could see the red fire coming under the big black cloud of smoke. Jack was trembling and crying and staying close to Laura. The wind was blowing harder and screaming wildly. More and more rabbits came running. Birds screamed in the screaming wind. All the wild things on the prairie ran or jumped or flew as fast as they could go down to the creek.
Pa was going along the trench, making a small fire in the grass on the other side of it. Ma followed him with a wet sack, beating violently at the small fire when it crossed to her side of the trench. Soon Pa's small fire was burning along the other side of the trench all around the house. He and Ma fought it when it crossed the trench to their side. They beat it with the wet sacks, and did not let it come toward the house. The big prairie fire was roaring now, roaring louder and louder in the screaming wind. Great flames turned and climbed high into the sky.
Mary and Laura stood against the house and held hands and trembled. Baby Carrie was in the house. Laura wanted to do something, but inside her head it was roaring like the fire. Her body shook. The smoke burned her nose, and her red eyes couldn't stop crying. Jack howled. The orange and yellow flames were coming faster than horses can run, and their terrible light danced over everything.
Pa's small fire burned slowly, moving away from the house. Slowly it went to meet the big wall of fire. And suddenly the big fire ate the little fire.
The wind screamed louder and the flames climbed all the way to the sky. Fire was all around the house.
Then suddenly it was all over. The fire roared past the house and was gone. Pa and Ma were beating little fires that burned here and there around the house. When those fires were out, Ma came to the house to wash. Her skin was black with smoke, and she was trembling.
'Don't worry, girls,' she said. 'Pa's little fire saved us. And all's well that ends well.'
The air smelled of burned grass. Smoke was blowing in the wind. The wide prairie was black all the way to the line where the sky began. Everything felt different and miserable. But Pa and Ma were happy because the house was safe.
The animals came out of the creek. The birds came flying, the rabbits jumped slowly and looked, and the prairie chickens came out walking. That night Mr Edwards and Mr Scott came to see Pa. They were worried.
'Maybe the Indians started the fire to frighten us. Maybe they want all the white settlers to leave,' Mr Scott said.
'I don't believe it,' said Pa. 'The Indians have always burned the prairie to make the green grass grow more quickly. And it's easier for them to ride their horses in shorter grass.'
While they were talking, they could hear the drums that were beating in the camps, and the shouts of the Indians.
Laura sat quietly listening to the talk and to the Indians.
'There are too many Indians in those camps,' said Mr Edwards. 'I don't like it.'
'The only good Indian is a dead Indian,' Mr Scott said.
'I don't know,' Pa said. 'I think the Indians are as good as anyone, if they are left alone. But the government has moved them west so many times. Naturally, they hate white settlers, but they're afraid of the white soldiers at Fort Dodge and Fort Gibson. I don't think they'll make any trouble.'
'Why are so many of them in the camps?' asked Mr Scott.
'They're just getting ready to hunt buffalo.' Pa said.
'Well,' Mr Scott said slowly, 'I hope you're right, Ingalls. I really hope you're right.'
