The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-23

with Pete, and Blenkinsop and l stood
on the rear platform.
It's a co. said 1, not without some
prideful emotions. The plan of en-
barkation had been mine.
Blenkinsop pointed to horseman in
a wide Tapping sombrero galloping
breakneck down the wagon road, which
led by short cut to the foot of the
| mountain.
That remains to be seen, he said
doubtfully. How far is it to Mounts
foot by the ,raiIroad?"
1T is a grade loop" said 1; -four
miles and a fraction. l believe"
And by the wagon road?"
"A little more than one"
Precisely. So If that fellow should
happen to be gallcping to head US off,
he can do it easily"
"Eeavens!" l gasped. You don't
think"
NO, don't think-I know. Five
minutes ago that fellow in overalls
and battered derby hat was helping
the driver of the grocer's wagon to
unload the-vegets bles."
1t was moment for action, prompt
and decisive, and my hand was on the
bell-cord to give the signal which
should call Savage back 70 US, when
the car gave great lunge and a leap,
ana the flight down the steep grade
became mad race.
You needn't mind" said Blenkinsop,
cody; Savage has seen him"
| With the superintendent on the en-
! gine and in command, there was moth
ing for us to do But when we rushed
| down the last incline into the Mounts
foot yards we were both hanging off
by the hand rails 10 see what portend-
ed.
The galloping horseman had beaten
US, but only by the narrowest margin.
| We saw him race down to the station
! and fling himself from the saddle. A
moment later we were laundering over
| the switches, and as the lurching
treasure car spun around the curve
below the station we of the rearguard
had vanishing glimpse of crowd of
men swarming upon the engine of a
waiting freight train.
Blenkinsop stepped inside and came
out with repeating rife.
You may ring up Savage now, il
you want to; the fight Will be at our
end of the string from this on
What do you mean?" l asked.
That" said he, pointing backward.
We had trailed out on a bit of
straight track-the only one Of any
consequence between Gold Hill and
| Whisky Mountain. Following his ges-
ture, the freight engine. free of it's
train and black with clustering men,
tore around the curve in chase.
A mile further on Savage and the
| paymaster Joined US, the superintend-
ent cool and grim, and Bossuet pale to
the ears with very natural alarm.
Dear mel" he said, striving like the
brave little man he was to speak calm
| ly; II am very much afraid we are in
for It."
ut looks that way" said Savage.
1T means a,race straightaway to the
junction. There isn't a station this
side of the main fine where we could
stop and raise a corporars guard to
fight them"
'You know both engines" said 1.
Can the 256 do it?''
He shook his head. with Simmons
at the throttle and chance to take
water at Tyree she might. AS it is the
$40 carries two gallons of water to our
one. and our tank will go dry some
where on the Whisky Mountain hill"
But the wires"'I broke in. The
alarm will go down the line, and surely
somebody will have wit enough to
throw a stitch and ditch them!"
The superintendent shook his head
again. 1--WE may as well look it fairly
in the face. Those fellows are bigger
| fools than / take them to be if they
! haven't dropped a man off to cut the
wires long before this. No, have CIV
| given Simmons his orders. If his water
|
on Whisky mountain. Then, if moth
ing has happened to change the situa-
| ton, we shall put the women on the
| engine. let Simmons drop down the
| farther grade with them out of harms
way anG We'll stay by the carat
| least l shall"
There were three more alternatives
to that vote. and little Mr.. Bossuet
| stumbled into the car to bring out
more rifles In those hard money days
the pay car went well provided with
arms.
Notwithstanding her great weight
| and the smallness of her driving
wheels the freight engine was holding
us well in leash. Curve after curve
was passed at hair-raising speed but
| on the reverses we could see the great
| man-covered machine.
They've got a good runner" said
Blenkinsop. lingering his piece like a
soldier enamoured Of battle. IF I
could get fair sight at him"
With the word he stood clear of the
hand rail and his rife went to his face.
| At the crack of it man on the tender
of the pursuing locomotive flung his
arms abroad and pitched headlong.
mo good" said the marksman as
coolly as if he had shot at, and missed,
clay pigeon. We've got to think up
some other way of stopping them"
"If we had anything to drop on the
| track" said Bossuet and thereupon
we become potential wreckers, strip
ping the pay car of eevrything move
able that could be flung out upon the
| rails.
Nothing came of this forlorn hope,
and when in the last resort we trun-
died the small cash safe out and heaved
it over only to see it bound from the
ties and go rolling off down the en-
| bankment, we were at the end of that
expedient.
The superintendent laughed grimly
at the sight of our final petard bound
ing off into the creek, laughed and
| reached for one of the rifles.
I'VE shall reach Whisky in five min
utes more at this gait; our business
now is to keep them back far enough
to give us time to transfer the women
at Summit Siding" he said; and when
| next the storming engine came in sight
a rafting volley from the rifles played
upon it.
When we had our next glimpse of the
brigands we were climbing the Whis-
key mountain grade and our pursuers
were well out of rifle-shot to the rear
Savage turned to me. Go up ahead
and see how our water is holding out, "
he commanded and 1 obeyed, running