Smoke filled the stable. The other horses were restless and coughing.
It was dark, and all the smoke made it impossible to see what was happening.
I coughed again. It was hard to breathe.
The crackling and snapping sound overhead was getting louder.
I didn't know what it was, but it terrified me.
I think it scared the other horses too.
They all started stamping, whinnying, or kicking at their stalls.
I heard rushing footsteps outside.
A moment later the younger stable worker burst in.
The fresh air he brought with him made it easier to breathe.
But I was still very frightened.
The worker grabbed the first horse in the row and tried to lead her out.
But that horse was as scared as I was and refused to go.
After a moment the man gave up and went to the next stall.
But that horse pulled back as well, and so did the next.
Finally the man came to my stall.
He darted in and reached for my halter, but I whirled away.
When he tried again, he managed to grab it. He gave a tug for me to follow.
I refused, planting my feet where they were.
I didn't know him, and I was too frightened to trust a stranger.
I wasn't going anywhere!
Now I realize how foolish that was.
The stable worker was only trying to rescue all the horses.
But at the time we were out of our minds with fear.
That terrible crackling sound was all around, and it seemed safer to stay in my stall than risk getting closer to whatever was causing it.
My stall had always been a safe place, whether at home or on the road.
How was I to know that it was different this time?
Finally the worker gave up. He rushed out of the stable again, shouting for help.
A moment later the old man with the crooked leg came in.
He was much calmer than the other man had been.
He walked up to the first horse and talked to her softly.
A second later the mare went with him, though she still looked anxious.
The old man led her outside, then returned and went to the second horse.
At the same time, James hurried in and came to my stall.
"Come, my beauties, it's time to get out of here," he said to Ginger and me in his usual calm, cheerful voice.
I was glad to see him, but I was still feeling very nervous.
James pulled the scarf from around his neck and slipped it over my eyes so I couldn't see anything.
I still heard the fire crackling, but the sound of James talking softly to me was closer and much more familiar.
I decided to trust James and let him tell me what to do.
After all, he had never let me down before.
So I allowed him to lead me out, and a moment later, there was fresh air all around me.
"Somebody hold this horse while I go back in!"
James called, pulling the scarf off my eyes so I could see again.
A man stepped up to take me, and James ran back into the burning stable.
I was still feeling scared and uncertain, and I didn't want him to go, so I whinnied after him.
Later Ginger told me that my whinny was what had saved her.
Knowing that I was outside, she found the courage to follow James out of her stall.
Through the smoke I watched the doorway.
A moment later James and Ginger appeared in the doorway.
By now the entire roof was blazing. We could hear things collapsing inside.
Someone called out that the fire engine was on its way.
The little old man was bringing other horses out.
But we didn't stay to watch any longer.
The squire had appeared, and he and James led Ginger and me to a different hotel.
In the morning all the humans were talking about what had happened.
The stable workers had gotten most of the other horses out, but two had been lost in the fire.
I was glad that Ginger and I were safe in a different hotel stable, but I felt sad about those two horses.
Everyone was sure that the young man's pipe had started the blaze.
He said he'd put the pipe down before going up into the loft, just as the stable worker had asked.
But nobody believed him.
I was very glad that John had a strict rule at home about such things.
Nobody was allowed to have a pipe or any other fire anywhere near the stable.
I couldn't understand why that wasn't a rule at every stable.
It certainly would have saved those two poor horses.