The Holly chieftain., 1902-08-15

that bsyond fcw contusSons OF small
Eoment they had not suffered suJ
damage from the accidsnt.
4 Apparently sthcre were others who
could not lay. .clsIms to suchrluck.
At ny rats. the death-like sileacs
that hsd tpllsre1 tke hst grand crash
was succesded BY cries OF terror,
shrieks and ne hoarse' voices Of
alarmed men calling for assistancs.
These appealed to the inmates Of
the carriages whore disaster had sst
mora lightly-when did cries for help
ever sound IN. vain In the ears Of men
who wefs Of the ;Ansto-saxon RAGS!
ZONES. forcing = door. crawlsd out
sids. followed BY hss confade.
A scene uf turmoil and confuston
presented itself such ~ they must re-
member long.
From the windows and smashed
doors Of the wrecked carriages men
and women wers crawling with almost
ludierous haste. Ike terrified bees e.
Gaping from . hive into which the
smoke Of tobacco has been injected.
Jones was . man equal to the occa-
sion.
wh.n.v.s hs Nv ! head As spr.ssat' II
to the rescue.
Some were bruised and cut more q
lees. for the shake-up had been pretty
rough. and flying xlass carrits danesr
with 1t: but It seemed as though By
the mercy OF Providence there were to
be NO fatal casualties.
While he worked. Jones was endeav-
oring to solve the problem ~ to how
this had happened. 70 when he reach
ed the vicinity Of the overturned mo-
tor. he began search for the driver.
II he had stuck by his engine the
chances were that he must be UNDER
meath the helpless monster and beyond
all hope Of saving. 4
Presently, however. q voice address,.
ed him in French, and calmly begged
that he would lend = hand toward res
cue: and turning. he beheld a man
who. from his Earb, he knew must
have been on the motor. pinned down
by heavy wooden beam or log.
It was the work Of but minute t.
extricate the man. and as Jones sur
missed, heN turned out to be the engine
driver.
He was bruised and sore, but gave
thanks that NO bones seemed broken.
When Jones had hastily questioned
him with the facility OF a lawyer, all
he discovered was that the alarm had
been given when the driver found he
was swooping directly down upon a
pile Of logs that had been purposely
placed upon the track. with the inten-
tion Of stopping the Nice express, and
upon which = red lantern had been
placed, but which signal was seen at
such short range that there was not
tina 70 brisg the train to stop,
though he mads 4 desperate attempt to
do So-.hfs stolers had jumped, but he
remained on his motor to see the logs
ny In every direction and then hnd
himself pinned under one, ten yards
away from the track.
At. least Jones had satisfied himself
there was no accident but dark design
back Of the wreck.
What he had learned made him un-
easy. II robbery was intended those
who took SO desperate means Of ac-
their purpose might
doubtless be found looting the wrecked
coaches even now.
He started the cry of alarm and
sent 1t along-every man became
aroused by the possibility OF new dan
ger and for the time being their hurts
and losses gave way before the possi-
biIity OF marauders coming from the
birder of Italy. S,
There were other chances, political
ones. France was inwardly seething-
Royalists were increasingly plotting to
bring about crisis whereby the army
might swing over to their cause, and
as the army went so the people would
incline. :,
Some important dignitary In mutt
might be ON board this train, whose
capture would be feather In the cap
Of the plotters. .s tS2
Stranger things have happened In
France ere now. . 81
Jones. who had evolved this clever
explanation from his brain. looked
around to see II he could mot ind cor
roborAtion.
And yet he was more or less startled
when he did actually discover moving
figures among the trees and rocks.
figures Of men carrying guns. and who
had apparently remained hidden until