, 1898-07-09

cropped hair of h chatter gave him q
preternatually sharp appearance. and
when he spoke his words came so rapid.
ly as to give one the impression that he
was talking in a series of jerks 1t didn't
require much experience in face reading
to observe that Mr.. Welburn was con.
siderably disturbed by something.
Don learned what it was
SIS that rod repaired, Robson?' he
shouted before hD got to where I was
working. How Soon "a you be ready
to leave?"
As it CHANGED. l had just completed
the repair.
"Ten minutes, sir. Only want to coal
up, and then we're right"
"Oh you go and get it then sharp. p"
He turned to his companion, and
heard him saying: "That's the best
can do for you, and if you can pass the
express at MARBLE so much the better.
should try it." l pricked my ears up at
that, you may imagine. What was in
the wind now?
"Robson!" I went up to them. Ills.
ten to me. You know what the IL
O'Clock is and how she's timed. Well.
you've got to overtake her today. This
gentleman is a detective from Scotland
Yard, and there's a man on that train
who has to be caught before he gets to
Liverpool, if it's possible to do it. Now,
you know what to do. Cover the ground
as fast as you can; 1858 can go if you
let her out. Don't spare her. I'll wire
the line to be prepared"
Five minutes later we left the shed on
one Of the most memorable journeys it
has ever been my lot to take. Half past
l! The express, that is to say, had al
hour and q half's start, or, deducting
stoppages at stations, say IS minutes.
And that, too, in 220 miles, and the
train itself booked at something like so
miles an hour. To be successful, we
should have to average more than a
mile a minute for the entire distance.
l opened the regulator and off we
started. 1t was not possible to attain
much speed, Of course, until we were
we'll clear Of the metropolis, and dur
ing that time the detective piled me
with questions. l learned something in
return also.
Let's see, he said, you're the man
who gave the information about Ka-
loczsky, aren't you? A great pity that
you didn't come straight to Us. Those
police people have made a fine bungle
Of it; took the thing entirely into their
own hands, thinking, I suppose, to have
all the credit, and then they let him
slip through their fingers. When they
got that far, they condescended to let
Us know; t'e train, Of course, being
we'll on its way to Liverpool by that
time"
So that was the explanation Of my
gentleman's presence Oh the engine. He
seemed in a mighty hurry too. We had
got fairly out into the country now, and
his orders were. LET her fly" And fly
we did. If ever engine Travelled we'll,
mine did that day. We did the 60 miles
to Sharnbrook summit in o level 60
minutes, including q signal check ap-
preaching Luton-the only one, by the
way, throughout the journey-and the
big pull up the bank. Two minutes for
water at Kettering, and once again we
sped northward.
"Mr. Welburn said something about
passing the express ut MARBLE" l heard
him shouting in my a above the din
of the rafting wheels and the roar Of
the wind rs We cut through the air.
Can we do it. do you Think"
"Well, wo might and run through
the direct line while it stands in the
station. Then you could be waiting on
the platform at Liverpool when it came
in" I shouted back.
AYE, that's lt-that's the thing" he
said eagerly. Try it."
I beckoned Jim to put on more coal.
Jim was my fireman. But what a task
The express was due at Marble ut 4:l5,
and it was now five minutes to 8.
Eighty minutes for lO5 miles, part of it
over some Of the worst running line OH
tho whole systemi
It was pretty straightforward to Der
by, and we fairly flew. I had to go OH
the front several times for oiling pur-
poses, and at the terrific speed it was no
light task. Derby, 1851 We raced
through that station, with its pile
Of headquarter buildings, with moth
ing more than a loud shrek of the
whistle-probably the first and only
time it has been treated with such scant
ceremony.
Forty minutes for 48 miles! Now for
the tug Of War. The 1853 class is not
considered the best for the heavy line
between Derby and Manchester, as u
rule. but she buckled to the task gal
lantly. The detective kept urging us to
go faster. faster; Jim shoveled away at
the coal; tho wheels groaned and creak-
ID; the footplate grew hot to our feet,
and the engine swayed from side to side
like a drunken man as we few round
the sinuous curve and over the points
and crossings One minute we were in
Q tunnel and the next emerging just
long enough to catch u feeting glimpse
Of some Derbyshire dale
"Shall we do it. dc you Think" the
detective shouted. l nodded. I was
watching the water gauge. The supply
vas getting low-in fact. we should
kave to stop at Rowsley to replenish it.
He grimsceA as l conveyed the intel.
igence TO him, but it was inevitable
However, We only lost a couple Of min
utes or 90 and wore soon tearing down
the Peak Forest bank. 1t had been q
hard fight, but we had practically won
it now, unless some signal check should
i~nterpose to snatch the victory almost
from our grasp. Luckily there was none.
With . triumphant Of the whistle
We ran through MARBLE while the OK
press unloaded barrowfuls Of luggage