The local amateur fire-fighter - 26 June 1858

Would you believe it. Not even a week into hay-making and we have a rick fire.
Some say it was kids (for "kids" as a term for children is used even now, you know) and some say it was one of the local village idiots - which really still leaves us with a wide field of suspects.
But I suspect it was just Hnaef trying out his new telescope. He bought it to impress that Lady Constantine he met the other day while he was out for a jaunt visiting the stately homes round near Warborne. Instead of using it to view the wonders of the solar system, he tried using it to make ants explode in strong sunshine and I reckon he caught the rick.
But the good news is that the rick was saved just in time. That new shepherd over at Weatherbury, young Gabriel Oak, heroically climbed the rick, knocked off all the burning bits, and arranged a bucket chain to sort out the rest.
Apparently that's the third rick young Gabriel has rescued already. So my other theory about how the fire started is, it's actually Gabriel going round lighting them himself so he can make himself out to be a hero.
They say Gabriel's a good shepherd, reasonable bailiff and just the man to have around when you sheep start exploding. That's all well and good. But I'm still not letting him around our fields if we think he might be in possession of anything capable of kindling a flame.