It was amusing to watch this rough and novel species of tournament, the sturdy engines sometimes nearly breaking a lance with the enemy, and at others disappearing for a moment, amid a cloud of snowy fragments, scattered about in all directions, as if a mine had been sprung.
were sometimes thrown "all of a heap " by these ope rations into the fore-part of their respective carriages, the train would be detached, and the locomotives set at it themselves, taking a good race, so as to strike with the more effect.  It was amusing to watch this rough and novel species of tournament, the sturdy engines sometimes nearly breaking a lance with the enemy, and at others disappearing for a moment, amid a cloud of snowy fragments, scattered about in all directions, as if a mine had been sprung.  The breach at length made, back they would come for the train, which they tugged along like so many camp followers, until a fresh obstacle had to be stormed.