Red River prospector. (Red River, Taos County, N.M.) 1900-190?, 1907-01-10
IN THE TUNNEL
BY 7. W. HANSHEW

l cannot conceive what impelled me
to do the thing, but the fact remains
that, just as the train pulled away
from the dingy little station at Mo
dane, and the fat man in the corner
began to nod again, l said quite audi
bly,: "Tn bet a flyer that fellow is
asleep before we reach the tunnel. and
will snore like a blessed pig the whole
way through it,"
l did not address my remarks to
any Of the persons who shared the
compartment with me. There were
foul of us in ala mummihed Italian
who kept his nose in a book, hour in
and hour out; the fat German who had
sat blinking like an owl every time I
opened my eyes during the night, and
had only had two waking intervals
since the day broke; and a somewhat
sallow-faced individual who looked
like a Frenchman, and spent the time
jotting things down on a pocket writ
ing block when he wasn't chewing the
end of his lead pencil and staring up
a. llS IOOl VI lu6 carriage III a Ilduh0L
indicative of deep thoughtfulness.
A more engaging set of animated
dead men it had never been my mis-
fortune to travel with. We had left
Paris-en route for Genoa-at nine
o'clock the previous evening; WI had
tumbled out at Modane the next morn
ing to pass the customs on the Italian
frontier, and during the entire IA
hours of our enforced association, not
n solitary word had been spoken by
any member of the party until l I'M
thinkingly broke the silence in the
manner recorded. 1t came, therefore,
as a somewhat startling surprise when
the man whom I had long ago decided
as a French commercial traveller max
ing up his accounts en- route, glanced
round at me and said, with as fine an
accent as ever came out of Cornwall:
Mo-, l think not. He is pretty good
at the game, l will admit; but fancy
he won't go as far as that" and forth
with showed his writing block into his
pocket and edged along the seat until
he was beside me.
IF you like to bet IN losing haz-
ards, that fellow will accommodate
you" he continued in a carefully low
cred tone and with a nod in the direc-
ton of the somnolent German. He
understands English"
How do you know that?" l inquired.
HE hasn't spoke a syllable since he
came in here last night"
Il am well aware that he hasn't.
Thinks he would make it too agree
able for other people if he did. But
he understands English well enough
to read it, If you will take the trouble
to notice that newspaper sticking out
of his coat pocket"
But that proves nothing. He may
have bought it for a friend"
Not he. If know anything, l
know the human mule when l lei
him; and if that fellow hadn't been too
far gone when you offered to wager
FIVE pounds that he would snore the
whole way through the tunnel, he
would have defeated you on general
principles. You can't trust a man with
a mouth and chin like his to let you
win anything if he can prevent It,"
I glanced over at the sleeping Ger
man and laughed.
Are you a family connection Of
Sherlock Holiness" l asked.
Not the slightest" he replied. with
a curious smile that lifted one corner
of his mouth half way up his cheek.
That is one of the few lines | have
never tackled as yet. But n never
knows what cards one may be called
upon to play before the end of the
game.
Ever beer through the Cents tun-
nel?" he asked.
mo, never. This is my first expert
e--e," / replied. rs the sensation as
uncanny as have been told?"
1T would require a second Poe to
do justice tn it. AS Tor me-" He
lifted the strap of the window. and |
could see that his hand shook
ly. 81 always liken the passage
through it to six-and-twenty minutes
IN hell, and l never fail to fill my eyes
and my memory with the picture of
green trees and bright sunlight before
l am swung into the place. But then,
mine was such an awful. such an un-
earthly experience
A sudden crash cut in upon his
words. The window strap had slipped
from his hand, and the sash shot down
with a bang that made the sleeping
man beside it start up with an ex-
cited "Ach! Lieber Gott!" and the
reading Italian turn for the first time
from his book. And, at the same mo-
ment, light and air and landscape were
licked up and swallowed, a swirl Of
darkness swOoped down and struck
our eyes, a sulphurous blast gripped
our throats and stank in our nostrils,
and the whole world seemed to have
plunged back suddenly into a roaring.
reeking chaos.
We were in the tunnel.
81 beg your pardon" said the Cor
lishman, looking over his shoulder
and addressing the scowling German
as the tiny spark Of light in tho dish
shaped lamp in the ceiling began to
make its existence manifest. 81 sup
pose | am a fool" he added, speaking
10 me this time, but | am always