Even our bare floor and rough furniture gave out a smell of burning at the first shower of embers which the first stone scattered.
For an instant I stood quite horror-struck before this new proof of the devilish ingenuity of the villains outside.

But the dreadful danger I was now in recalled me to my senses immediately.

There was a large canful of water in my bedroom, and I ran in at once to fetch it.

Before I could get back to the kitchen a second stone had been thrown down the chimney, and the floor was smoldering in several places.
I had wit enough to let the smoldering go on for a moment or two more, and to pour the whole of my canful of water over the fire before the third stone came down the chimney.

The live embers on the floor I easily disposed of after that.