The Grenada gazette., 1888-06-02


exclaimed BEST way is to tie him
across the rails. and let EN- finish
him." Ea.'la
Yes, that's sor' echoed the party.
Dead men tell no tales. and he may
have seen our faces" ia
'.Ho! hol no! won't listen to suci
plan" said one who seemed to ex-
ercise some influence over them. Ave
shall have enough to ans wer for before
this job Is finished without killing him.
How this oail sticksr' he added. with
an oath. The man who drove these
spikes must have meant 'em to stay. 4
Come, mates! He safe enough, and
ii we mean business We must. be live
ly The train will be here in twenty
minutes. and we have no time to l0se,"
and at the rail they all sprang With
will. u
Twenty minutes! What could |
hope to do to save the train in my con-
di'ion. within SO short a timer
The thought of the terrible wreck
which must result il the derailed train
struck the bridge made me desperate.
Straining at the cords which bound
my wrists, ! fancied they gave way
little. rememb red the trick of the
necromancers who free themselves
from their bonds by alternately con-
tracing and expanding their muscles.
and l lay in silence. working in per-
feet frenzy of excitement until was
able to free my hands. In an instant
my knife was out of my pocket, and
my feet free.
Without waiting to free myself
from the gag, l sprang 10 my feet
and. at the top of my speed. started
down the track in the direction of the
approaching train. With yell which
told me l was discovered, the whole
gang started in pursuit; but ! had
some little start of them, an d bounded
along the ties, bent upon stopping the
train at any cost. In the inky black
ness of the night pursuit was diff cult.
Soon pop! pop! pop! from the revolv-
ers of the gang. They were firing
down the track. in the hope of stop
ping me with a bullet.
Al the gag. which l had not re-
moved hindered my breathing, l was
forced to stop for n moment to cut it
| way. While so engaged, there came
a second volley, this time more sue
cessful. was struck in the left arm
midway between wrist and elbow. 1
should have tainted from the shock.
together with the rough usage had
reviously undergone, but for my de-
termination to keep up.
brace up!' l called. as if address,
ing a companion. mo time for such
foolishness now. Tom. Remember the
trainr
This said aloul to myself, for the
solitary work of my nightly rounds
had given me the habit of talking to
myself, for want of another compan-
ion. Setting my teeth hard, over
came the faintnesS staggered to my
feet and ran on. soon noticed that
the pursuit had ceased. Either the
train robbers thought was done for,
or they had returned to their uniin-
ished work. trusting should be una
BILE to stop the train. And now it
flashed upon my mind for the first
time, How could l accomplish il?
Light l had none-my lantern was
with the wreckers.
| While l was thus dcliberating, still
running on as fast as my condition
would permit instinctively l felt in
my pocket for matches. All, the oil!
Why had l not thought of that be-
forep Of course!
"Of course the oil will stop them,
Tom. Spread it on the rails. Their
old seventy ton locomotive can get no
| grip on that iron. Smear 1t thick,
cover it we'll, rub it on with your
palm, so-both rails. don't neglect an
inch of either. For life. Tom, for life.
Think Of the men, women and little
children upon the train!'
| worked with the desperation of a
drowning man. Upon my knees, the
bottle under my disabled arm. pour
ing the oil. by an inclination of my
body, into my right hand, and spread
| ing 1t upon the rails.
| In ten minutes the quart of oil was
exhausted. and as result had both
rails for quite distance very well
covered with it.
| had worked backward from the
approaching train, and now rose to
my feet at the end of my labor and at
the terminus Of the creased rails.
The train was coming. Already the
rails were. singing with vibration as
tho heavy train approached. Here
| they come. How awful the sight Of a
big locomotive, coming straight TO-
ward one upon dark midnight! The
great. round eye Of the headlight
streaming out into the darkness, the
roar of the exhaust, the hiss Of the
steam through the cylinders. together
with the rush aud roar Of the train,
make up terrifying, though magniti'
cent sight. ...---,..f as-,.o
stood upon the tracks, waving my
hands. far enough away to spring from