The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1854-09-20
7EPORT, LOUISIANA, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 1854

a half-hour this time, cried I, and l will Civ
you twenty dollars. Every minute is worth
fortune 1must have been insane The f1usl
OF victory, after so many weeks of enthusiastic
struggle, had almost, if not quite, turned my
brain. Just at this moment, the engineer dis
covered that the light in front of the engine
was burning dimly, and threatening to expire
With an anathema upon the negligent fireman
he leaped down to examine it. The lamp hac
not been filled. For Gods sake shrieked
when | learned the fact, don't stop for tha
tritle, | can travel in the dark if you can Yor
are not atraid? | continued tauntingly, as
the engineer still hesitated. I can ride to the
devil as coolly as you can, he rejoined ,cheeriy
and resumng his post, started the machine
Gas we emerged from the station house,
remember thinking had never seen blackel
night The first motion of the eng gine had ex
tlngulshed our light, not star was to be seer
in the heavens, and the few lighted windows
which dotted the landscape here and there only
added to the general gloom of the scene
Flushed and wild as l was, I experienced a
thrill of horror as the engine madly dashed into
the darkness. l strained my eyes until they
ached, / held my breath and contracted my
muscles, as iffalling, SO fearfully rapid seemed
the rate at which we were flying.
But new and pleasanter sensation soon took
the place of this terror None but those who
have actually experienced it can imagine the
maddening delight which cxcessiveIy y rapid
motion produces. We were under full head
way, and with no load to retard our speed.
Now and then lighted window by the side of
the track flew past us like a meteor, while far
ther off in the gloom, a solitary taper would
sometimes seem madly striving to emulate our
pace-soon distanced, however, and soon lost.
In less time than have been talking, we had
arrived at little village, where the street lamps
were burning, and which l knew was just ten
miles from W. stopped down and exam
ined my watch by the light of the engine fire.
We had travelled the first ten miles in less than
ten minutes. :Faster!' I shouted mady to the
engineer, as crammcd another pine stick under
the boiler. But it was hardly possible to accele5
rate our speed. The wheels actually leaped
along the rails. The few drops of rain which
occasionally fell, struck against nv face like fine
shot. The steam whistle kept up an endless
shrek, as if the engine were some monstrous
goblin; tortured beyond endurance byoan inhu-
man iend, while the deep bass of the increas-
ing thunder ming led with the wild rattle of our
wheels, and formed a chorus which the furies
might have envied. As nay ears were gradu-
ally stunned by these complicated noises, and
my eyes wearied by their unnatural exertion, l
fancied that | heard other noises and saw other
sights, which could have been only the product
of bewildered brain. AS we dashed into
some g gloomy gorge | seemed to hear angry
voices warning and upbraiding me; as we flew
1~f,,- H.,
its in the air, who waved me on with wild ges-
lures, Or struck at me with airy blades, The
lightnings became more vivid and frequent.
Now they showed us the threatening crags that
over hung our path, and now they lighted upa
raging torrent far beneath us. Myocompanion,
however, was calm and composed as though
his cradle had been rocked by tempests The
flashes by which occasionally caught glimpse
of him gave, it is true, an unnatural ghastli-
ness to his face, but his manner was as cool and
collected as Phad always Known it. l could
feel him managing the engine as quietly and
carefully as if it was a summers day, and he
had the lives of a hundred passengers to answer
for, besides his own.
"A few minutes-ten or twelve, perhaps
had elapsed since | looked at myo watch, and
had begun to think that our journeys end
was near. We were passing, as near as | could
Judge by the sound and the wind over level
open tract of country, when fanced I felt
momentary jar. so slight, however, and unim-
portant, that it would have passed from my re-
collection at once, had it not been for what fol-
lowed. Just at that moment, a longer and
brighter flash of lightning than l had before
seen, attended, not followed, by an awful crash
of thunder, up again the surrounding scenery
But high above the deafening peal, above the
lesser thunder of the wheels, above the raying |
of the wind, / heard shrek shout of horror,
50 wild, so awful, SO like the uttcrance Of lost
soul, that it vexes my dreams to this hour 1t !
was sound which no physical pain could have
elected from human being, which nothing but
fearo could have produced, and |
which no one who once heard it could ever ban
sh from his recollection.
'Involuntarily felt for my companion. He !
was gone! Igroped hastily about the confined
space in which We had been standing. and at
once rcslized the awful nature of nv position.
was alone, upon al engine which was tearing
nadly forward, at the rate Of sixty or seventy
niles an hour, rapidly approaching my destina-
ion, about to dash headlong, at full speed, into
he midst of an eager and excited crowd, and
With no more knowledge of the management
u government of the crazy thing than an infant
7or an instant was thoroughly paralyzed by
ear Cold drops of perspiration stood upon
ny brow, and | fairly screamed in impotent
agony. But in a moment more I recovered
myself. l had some indistinct notion that the
pned of an engine was accelerated or checked
y operating the leyers which stood by ny side,
md forthwith commenced a series of expert
nents with them. But my unskillfulpess or
lgitation prevented my employing the rropo,
means, and | tancied | had only increased the
peed. Another resource flashed upon me. I
night pull out the blazing wood and Goals, ,and
educe the fire. 1t was mad idea, for my
lngloved hands were my only tools for the en-
erprize, but I chuckled wildly to myself as l
hought how feasible it was and how sure of
uccesss Eagerly stopped down and pulled a
[aming stick from beneath the boiler. The
eething pitch scalded my hands, and the live
mbers burnt them cruelty, but l hardly felt
be pain, as hurried it tfranticaly into the dark
less.
But did not stoop again. For, as turned
q continue nv vain labOrs another flash one