The hills were on fire. It was the spring of 1877, windy and dry. In West Jay, Vermont, Mitchell Ploof was at work in his clearing when he smelled smoke and heard a rustling in the undergrowth. Rabbits. They poured out of the forest, “whole droves” of them running, and there were other animals too, squirrels and chipmunks. The fire followed, ten minutes behind.

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