The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-06-25

tIilS bltNh as lllt llIC CdIl nat lllt 10
coming on at the rate of 20 miles an
hour. and whether this engine will keep
on the rail at such rate as that | have
my doubts. Hullo! here come the
snakes
THE ground was all alive with snakes.
There were rattlers and blacksnakes,
and hOgnoses, and copperheads, and
every sort and size and condition of
snake. When they struck the track
they seemed to see the advantages of
it as highway, and they turned and
pointed for Buchephalus without stop
ping to ask the way. They were just
full of business, and hadn't the least
time to take notice of one another or OF
us. Blacksnakes and rattlers are gen.
orally spelling to fight one another, but
this time they were iostling and run
ming over each other, and nobody was
saying: Where are you showing to p or
so much as offering TO bite. One big
RATHER climbed into the cab, and Sam
just showed him out with his foot. |
needn't tell you what that snake would
have done if he hadn't had his mind set
on getting away from the fire
"The sight made me fairly sick. for I
hate a snake as l do an Injun. knew
then how poor devil feels who has the
delirium tremens, and if | hadn't been
sober man, which | always was, I'd
have sworn off then and there.
well. we started on again. running
over snakes by the dozen Some of
them got twisted into the driving wheel,
and the engine dashed the ground with
them as if they We're whipcord till they
were worn out. We had lost only two
or three minutes by stopping, but the
fire seemed to have gained on us about
half the distance that it had been when
we first saw it. and we were near enough
now to hear the cracking and the roar
ing of the flames / saw the fire strike
Il big tree, and. if you'll believe it. that
tree burst as if it had been filled with
gunpowder and vanished clean out of
sight in less than a minute after the
leaves began to frizzle. The wind was
drawing towards the fire, but we could
see by the way the flames acted that
high east wind was bringing the fire
down on us at an awful rate The flames
would shoot up 80 or 40 feet into the air
and wave just as if they were hurrahing
at the prospect of catching us.
"Our engine was going at least 25
miles an hour and was swinging from
size to side and humping over the Joints
for we didn't have any fshplates in
those days-as if she was bound to lump
the track. We had outrun the snake
procession, and the only live thing we
could see was a coyote who was Looping
down the track 50 yards ahead of us.
without so much as turning his head 70
see what was after him.
How long will the track stand this
sort of thing?' says l to Sam. as he fin
ished shovelling fresh coal into the fire.
Don't know says he. It's IS miles
from here to the Wachusetts river, and
if we can get across the bridge ahead of
the fire, there is a fair chance that II
won't cross. | don't much believe that
we Shall fetch the bridge, but if we don't
it won't be because dom drive this liver
engine for all she's worth We're dead
men if she jumps the track. and we're
dead men if we stop short of the river
So we might as well let her go, and take
our chances
Il don't know if any of you gentlemen
have ever Travelled over a track that was
laid on prairie without any ballast.
If you haven't, take my advice and
cont ever try it. There were times
when the swaying of that engine made
the whole track, sleepers and all, slide
sideways. 1t wasn't merely that it felt
as if the track slid. it actually did
slide, and | could see places that we HAD
passed over that ought to have been
straight, but that were curved in and
ont. just like snake that is trying to
set away from you, and twists itself
into a letter so as to confuse YOU and
keep you from hitting it, Sam hung
on to the lever and hung on to the edge
of the cab window. Neither of us could
have kept our feet without hanging OH
first along l was pretty badly scared.
but finding that the engine didn't leave
the track, for all her slewings and Jump
ings. | began to think she would carry
us through. SO far as | could see. the
fire didn't gain any on US, but then VIC
didn't seem to be gaining anything to
speak of on the fire.
"Presently Sam swore in a general
sort of way, and sung out to me to rake
up the fire. | did so; and then, suppos
ing that something must have dissat-
isfied him, | asked him what was the
matter.
THAT derned coyotes the matter,
said he. We don't gain an inch on it,
and | do most everlastingly hate to be
heat by coyote. Here! you take the
lever, while | lie her jints a little. In.
bound to beat that coyote between here
and the river, or 10 pile up this engine
| never see such an impudent derned
brute since | took to railroading.'
''Well, Sam went out on the engine
with his oil can, and when he mad oiled
her to his satisfaction he came back
and raked up the fire again and fused
round with his gauges. He seemed to
haye forgotten all about the danger we
were in, and to think of nothing but rae
ing with that coyote. Pretty soon we