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

ourselves up the engine was lying on lt4
side about a rod away from the tracld
and the tender was trying to climb ovei
the wreck.
That there coyotes won after all,
said Sam. He's got fresh wind, and
he's safe to make the river in time to
save his bacon
Whats the use of talking about
him" says |. Tell me what we're going
to do. There amt any sort of use in try
ing to run, l suppose?' II
Not the smallest derned grain says
Sam. That fire is due here in about Is
minutes, and we might as well sit down
Quiet and wait for it. 4
Il saw that Sam didn't consider that
there was the least bit of chance for US,
| and you can imagine whether l vas
scared or not.
1 did read once says Sam, about a
chap who was riding on the prairie and
was chased by fire. same as we are now.
He shot his horse and ripped the Hde
off and wrapped himself up in it. The
hide being green, you understand, didn't
burn, and the man came through all
right. Its middling tough yarn, but
all the same,it's thing that might have
happened. was thinking that if the
fire would wait half an hour till my boil
er tubes cooled down, could pull them
out and we could get into the boiler, the
same as the man got into the horses
hide. But there's no use in signale---.
that fire to stop and lay up on siding
for half an hour, just to suit us
"'There's water in the tender said
L; couldn't we do anything with that "
"'Your head, pardner,' says Sam,
getting up and going towards the ten
der, amt so very far from being level.
Let's see how much water we've got
with that he opened the manhole of
! the water tank and looked in. We're
all right" says he. You come along
here and get into that tank with me.
Well put the cover on when the fire
reaches us, and | expect we can stand it
for five minutes or so. It's d scheme
that lays way over that fellows horse
hide game, and | shouldn't wonder if
it turned out satisfactory for all con-
cerned.'
THE manhole was big enough to let
man through, and when Sam and got
into the tank and crouched down in a
sort of sitting position, the water came
just up to our chins, and we had about
ten inches of head room. Sam pulled
the iron cover part way over the hole
and said: Now we're pretty certain
NJ n no u nj, hot : b,+
is aiming at. It'll be some satisfaction
to get the better of it.
Il don't see,' said |, that we're bet
tering things very much by putting
ourselves i'll the way of being boiled in
stead of roasted
- don't suppose said Sam. that
there is any great things to choose be-
tween being roasted or billed or fried
or you might say baked. But that fire
has set it's mind on roasting us. and if
were billed, it'll be disappointed. Be
sides, | amt so sure about the billing.
It'll take some time to heat up this
water, and we may pull through after
all
Just then the noise of the fire showed
that it was getting close to us. and a
Whit of smoke came into the tank. Sam
pulled the cover on, and saws to me:
Just sit and take it easy. There's air
enough here to last us for some time if
we don't use it up in talking
81 kept quiet, and said my prayers to
myself. The fire came down on us with
a whoop like ten tribes of Iniuns, and
the top of the tank was hot in less than
no time. The roaring of the fire seemed
to pass on and away from us, but there
was a tremendous lot of cracking 90
ing on in our neighborhood which
showed that the fire was still all around
us. We waited and waited, hoping
every minute that the fire would
die out and let us open the tank. The
Waterkept getting warmer and warmer,
and when / touched tie top of the tank,
where the water didn't reach it. burnt
my fingers. The air, too, kept getting
more and more choky, until | was very
near my last gasp, and Sam was about
the same. When we couldn't stand it
any longer he threw off the cover, and
put his head out. Then he broke into
big laugh, that was a little hoarse by
reason of the choking he had under
gone, and he climbed out of the tank,
calling to me to follow him. which
naturally | did without wasting time.
The prairie fire was miles away, and
the cracking which we heard was made
by the woodwork of the tender and the
wreck of the engine cab, which was all
in blaze. There wasn't anything to
hurt us when we were once outside of
the tank, but if we had stayed in it long
enough we would have been boiled
without the least doubt. We Jumped
down on the ground, ard stood there to
see the wreck burn, and, with the excep-
ton of my burnt fingers and little hair
that was singed off the top of Sans
head, we were as cool and comfortable
as man could want to be.
1--WE walked back to Bucephalus, and
| had considerable difficulty in getting
my chief to believe that Sam and had
saved ourselves by hiding in tank. I
was so well pleased at my escape that it
made very little odds to me what he
I thought about it, but Sam was that
Disseminated at having his engine beat