The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-03-09

each man doing his duty absolutely, regard
less of what might happen. But all this they
felt rather than reasoned, for men of action
reflect slowly, and the pace was so severe
that they had NO time for reflection
Matt leaned over and slipped the key Of
the switch to Jim Reeves, who was in front.
"If we haven't time to unlock her, Jim"
he said SO quietly that it hurt the men to hear
him, 'sjump on the lever n break the
chain. Now, fellows. heave away for all
you're worth"
The first six miles passed quickly; to right
and left the road and the trees few back
wards, and nothing was heard but the short,
quick painting of the men, the burr Of the
coes, and the c~lickety-click, clicketyclick Of
the wheels over the fish plates. On the half
mile up grade to Bass Falls they had to
slacken up a little and hang on the handles,
while the sweat ran off their smooth backs
down over their muscular arms to the cross
bar and dripped off on to the platform; but
with their heads down and every muscle
braced, they worked on steadily, painting
hoarsely through their closed teeth. They
had but one idea in common, and ~ was,
as Jim Reeves tersely expressed it. that they
must reach that qualified switch or bust. At
regular intervals Murphy, who seemed to
have renowned his customary profanity, re
peated his short, earnest exhortation, more as
q prayer than as a command: STEADY,
boys, steady! for Gods sake!'
The top Of the grade was reached; then
came a level run of NO miles before tho
curve to the bridge. Ahead of them on each
side If the track the workmen. annrahandine
some disaster from the enormous volume OF
smoke that was blowing toward them in pur-
plish clouds trimmed with golden sunlight,
had assembled before the Falls station; and
as Murphy's gang came along, up and down,
up and down, every man in that crowd felt
his ewes grow moist and his throat dry. With
one accord English and Yankee, French Ca
nadians and Italians, Swedes and Finlanders,
gave one solitary ringing cheer, and stood 81
lent again, as if suddenly awed by the simple
heroism of these four men, apparently rush
ing consciously, determinedly to certain
death, and working fiercely as if they were
escaping from some great danger instead of
hurrying into it. Not a man spoke as they
flashed past. A few pushed their hats back
and stopped as if ashamed Of the movement,
watching the hand car grow smaller and
smaller above the converging lines of the
rails.
Swearing Dan Dunn, the walking boss,
stepped out into the middle of the track be-
tween his men, threw down his pick, and
viped his wet forehead on the sleeve of his
shirt.
"Boys,n he said, ''that gangs a-goin' to
eyerlastin' destruction as plucky as any fel-
lows I ever see, every blamed man of them,
and I'll bet a barrel of highwines to q cup of
tea they known it, too. Matt Murphy knows
it, sure"
Then. turning suddenly and pointing down
the track, he cried in his usual bullying tone:
.'Give them a yell there, blame you-all
together now, and yell till you bust or I'll
break the soa of q tadger's head that hangs
fire!'
For once, although they had their custom
ary effect of insuring prompt compliance with
his orders, Dams threats were super1u0us;
for once his wishes conceded with the wishes
of his men, and from those 500 threats there
burst such a cry That the flames ahead seemed
to halt for a moment in their forward rush.
On the hot, pulsating air it floated away
across the muskeg, over the heads of the de-
voted crew, and reechoed with q booming
roll from the slate walls Of the rock cut
through which they pushed their car. But
though this expression of their comrades
sympathy cheered and helped them it told
each man only too plainly that this was his
last job on the track.
':That's goodby for the long contract"
said Reeves, and Mike in his broken English
repeated:
"Yas; koot bye, pyes-koot bye" but both
relapsed into silence at the sound Of Murphys
remonstrance.
'sSteady, boys, steady, and mind the brake,
Jim; we're right on the down grade"
At the end of the level was the grade to the
bridge and the fire; beyond the fire the bridge,
the switch, and the fated train with its hui
man cargo hurrying to destruction, for tho
wind was high, and the engineer would natur-
ally think the fire far away until he was in
the very midst of it. Then the struggle be
toward them in great flying gusts, so dense
they could barely see the platform Of the car;
the heat became intense, but they never
wavered. Perhaps it was because women
we're few in the dismal country which had
become their home, and that, as is usual in
purely male communities, every man invested
the gentler sex collectively with a romantic
halo, in exact inverse proportion to the pro-
fame skeptical contempt which he professed
for them individually; perhaps it was be-
cause some lingering spark of chivalry, driven
into the west by the sneers Of q higher civil
cation, had famed up suddenly in the hearts
of these rough journeymen; or perhaps it was
merely the humane hope of saving the wives
and children of men who had slept under the
same blanket, worked in the anne ditch, and
shared the anne biscuit; but, whatever the
cause, it was sufficient to silence selfish con-
sideration and make them look upon the sacri-
fee of their lives as no more than the fulfill
ment of a necessary duty. Mm@@
All o them the trees were falling in
rows; broad flashes Of fame, quenched for q
moment in the black smoke, burst up and
fared in the wind like shreds of some vast
tattered canopy. Along the ground the
brush wilted away, burning with a sharp
crackle like that of a musketry discharge;
and up through the hollow tamaracks the
fire swept with a noise like the below of q
filling sail. Great trunks tottered and fell
with a booming crash like the sound of dis
tant cannon. The hot air quivered around
them and they gasped spasmodically as
they shook of the burning sparks and
laughed Historically between short howls Of
pain. Ahead all was red and black-a sea
of fire. Murphy called out once more,
STEADY, boys, steady!' and they plunged
into it resolutely with the desperation OF q
wounded bull charging on the espada's blade.
STEADY, my men! Up and down, up and
down! Stick to her, lads; it'll soon be over
now"
Then the flames closed upon them, and as
they lowered their heads before the whirl-
wind of fire and smoke that was hurled at
them they shivered at the crisp crepitation of
their hair and beard and felt the hot grip of
the fire fasten o. them as they writhed in
pain. Something struck the car and it
reeled for q moment. .m.@.
"Stand by her, boys; steady there!!" They
grasped the handles again and struggled on;
by the hollow sound of the wheels they knew
that they were on the bridge at last, and it
lent them fresh strength. Then something
struck them again. lizard, hard at work
there! Jim, Mike, Dick, all of you-pump
away, for Gods sake, boys! we are nearly
there. Try again: the switch, boys, mind
the switch! all together now, heaven But
strain as they might-and they strained with
a fierce, desperate energy, for there was
something in Murphy's tone that vent to
their hearts-the car was fast and would not
move. Then they heard a wild cry above
the laundering crash of the bridge as it fell
from under them; the car was suddenly shot
ahead and sprang away easily over the debris
that lay across the iron. The trestle was
passed; but ut the rear handle Mike stood
alone; his partner, Matt Murphy, was gone;
that last falling brace had struck him square,
" across the arms, and when he saw that he
could no longer pull his weight, he jumped
off and put all his remaining strength in that
last push that sent them through into the
comparative quiet beyond.
tsSteadv hOvS and God ho w;+h vo,, ~ cama