A boy and colt story with a different slant. The setting is a ranch in California, where a dry summer spells disaster and Tim faced the necessity of allowing his father to sell the colt, Fireplug, that he had raised from a runty piece of horseflesh-with a good pedigree of firehorses. How Fireplug earned his right to stay on the ranch when he gave the warning of a brush fire, carried the dampened sacks to the scene, and raced with Tim for help when the telephone lines were down, makes a story with more content than often found in books at easy reading level.