The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-11-20

fire?' Iasked.
"I calculate to try it, said Sam,
since it's our only chance, but don't
much believe that we can run as fast
on this track as the fire can. That
fire is coming on at the rate of twenty
miles an hour, and whether this en-
CINE will keep on on the rail at any
such rate as that I have my doubts.
Hullo! here come the snakes
"Well, we started on again, running
over snakes by the dozen. We had
lost about twenty-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 roaring of the
flames. I saw the fire strike big tree,
and if you'll believe it, that tree burst
as if it had been filled with gunpow-
der, and vanished clean out of sight in
less than minute after the leaves be-
gan to frizzle. The wind was drawing
toward the fire, but we could see by
the way the flames acted that high
east wind was bringing the fire down
on us at IN awful rate. The flames
would shoot up thirty or forty feet in
to the air, and wave just as if they
were hurrahing at the prospect of
catching US.
"Our engine was doing at least
twenty-five miles an hour, and was
swinging from side to side and bump
ing over the Johnston we didn't have
any fsh-plates in those days-as if
she was bound to Jump 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
fifty yards ahead of US, without so
much as turning his head to see what
was after him.
"'How long will the track stand this
sort of thing?' says I to Sam, as he
finished shoveling fresh into the fire.
",'Don't know, says he. TITS eigh-
teen miles from here to the Wachu-
setts River, and if we can't get across
the bridge ahead of the fire there is a
fair chance that we won't cross. I don't
much believe that we will fetch the
bridge, but if we don't it won't be be-
cause 1 don't drive thishyer 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 we'll let her go and take
our chances
"oam hung on to the lever and I
hung on to the edge of the cab win
dow. Neither of us could have kept.
our feet without hanging on to some
thing. I am free to say that first along
I was pretty badly scared, but when
the engine didn't leave the track, for
all her slewings and jumpings, I be-
gan to think she would carry us
through. So far as I could see, the
fire didn't gain any on US, butthen we
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. I did SO; and then,
supposing that something must have
dissatisfied him, I asked him what was
the matter.
"'That coyotes the matter said
ne. I'VE don't gain an inch on him,
and do most everlastingly hate to be
beat by coyote. Here! you take the
lever while [ lie her jints little. I'm
bound to beat that coyote between
here and the river or to pile up this
engine. I never sec such an impu-
dent brute since I took to railroading.'
well, Sam went out on the engine
with his oil can, and when he had
oiled her to his satisfaction he came
back and raked up the fire again and
fused round with the gauges. He
seemed to have forgotten all about the
danger we were in, and to think of
nothing but racing with that coyote.
Pretty soon we could see thatwe had
gained little on the beast, and Sam
was as cheerful as he would have been
if he had been sitting comfortably in
a Bucephalus saloon. He never so
much as looked back at the prairie
fire, that was as near as ever and as
bent on gathering us in.
The ground is sort of loose and
swampy just below here, if I remem-
Der right, said I. will she keep the
track, 90 you think?'
"Sam didn't answer me, for he was
leaning out of the cab and watching
the coyote. Suddenly he sings out,
'Hurrah, boys! The coyotes losing
his wind. There amt ten minutes
more run in him, and we'll be atop of
him in less than that time.
"Just then we struck the swampy
part of the road that I had been speak
ing of and, one side of the track sink
ing a little too deep, the engine
jumped the rails and struck out across
the prairie on her own hook. Sam
and T inmnnd at tho como no;n,,%o md