Year: 1870

tlghtened to the train.


Suddenly several voices cried, ssStor


stop! Now then, quick! Which class
first? Let's see your ticket. Right. Her


you are-jump inp'


The door of my carriage was opened,


form bounded in, the door, was slammed


there was another shrill whistle and OF


went the train. I looked at my compan


ion. He was the man that had notice,


speak to the porter and stare into the win


dow of my hotel.


A thrill passed over nae. My recent es


cape had greatly shaken my nervous sys


tenn, and the app arition of man whom


felt L ought 70 suspect sent thrill through
L blood. AS q peasant, which he wa
not expressed only in his dress, but i,
hands, which were dirty, rough and horn
ey-what did he do in a frst-class carriage


would have given something to havt
changed carriages. But there was no com
munlcatlon with the guard. Moreover the
train, as | have told you, was an express
and did not stop until a run of sixty-si1
miles had been accomplished, and we were
now bowling along with great rapidity.


began after time to regain my com
posure. [ struggled to laugh down my
fears What, I thought, had [ to fear from
man [ had never seen-who had never
seen me? The thing was preposterous.
extracted paper from my pocket and com
menced to read.


Half an hour passed away. All at cnce
over the edge of my newspaper, saw hin
put his hand out the window, as if to open
the door. had not time to conjecture his
intention when, with a wild, screaming
whistle we were hurled into the night of q
long tunnel.


The rapid disappearance of the daylight
made the oil lamp suspended in the car.
rage emit but the dullest light for some



[ laid the newspaper down, with all my
old fears revived in me- I had scarcely
done SO when [ saw the outline OF man
rise in the carriage. He leapt over to where
L was seated. [ saw the CLEAN of knife
in the air.


Mad with passion and surprise, I grasped
the descending arm. A furious determina-
ton to save my life inspired me with the
strength ofa giant.


The ferocity with which I seized his
wrist forced the hand open. The knife
fell; and then commenced silent. furious
struggle.


He seized me by the collar, and cIung
with the tenacity of 8 tiger. heard his
swapping teeth, as if he was endeavoring to
bite. We swayed from one side of the car
rage to the other. I felt how weak ILL
health had left me, and prayed to pass out
into the light, that might the better see
how to encounter the ruffian.


Suddenly [ felt myself swung round
with tremendous energy. [ bounded
against door, which opened, and we both
tell out on to the lines in the very central
Of the tunnel.


The fall seemed to have stunned him, for
ne fell under me, and remaine for time
notionless.


For myself, Ireceived an indescribable
shock, such as is experienced in collision:
out L retained my senses. heard the roar
)f the train dying away in the distance. [
slw the red CLEAN fading like the eye OF
lying demon.


| still clutcheo him by the throat, nor
did dare relinquish it. My situation was
rlghtful, suspected thata down train would
soon be passing, and in the intense black
ness of the tunnel could not see on which
inc We had fallen. I would have stretch
I'd forth my hand to grope for the rails; I
night have found place of safety by judg-
ng of the distance between them, but [
elt the form of my assailant commencing
70 writhe beneath me.


His struggles grew fiercer. He endeav-
ored to rise; but with the fury OF despair
kept him pressed down, one hand on his
throat, the other on his breast. What
desired was to render him insensible.
would then leave him in the darkness, and
grope my way as I could.


1t never occurred to me at the time that
we were on the railroad track and in mar
row tunnel.


few minutes had elapsed when I heard
1 distant rumbling like approaching thun-
der. It increased. Iseemed to feel wind
blowing against my face.


l tasted, too, continual draught of
smoke and steam. [ knew that train was
approaching, and my hair lifted on my
lead. What rails were we on? The sus-
1ense was terrible.


My assailant increased his struggles He
became furious. He was evidently fight
ng to throw me down, and over in the di-
'ection of that side of the tunnel along
which came the roar of the train.


| saw his object and madly pressed upon
him. His body frantically writhed. He
twisted under me as if he revolved on a
pivot. He endeaYored to shrek some
words to +, but my throttling grasp made
his voice no more than a horrible hoarse-
ness.


/ saw the red and green lights of the en-
CINE approaching; they grew in size and
ustre with hideous rapidity.


There was roar, shower of dust, q
wind that struck me down like blow from
/ strong mans hand; then followed the
lying rattle, ending in dull and sullen
moan.


l rose to my feet. I crossed over to the
wall, and feeling along it, took to walking
with all the speed my sinking frame would
suffer me to put forth.


[ now and then stumbled over piles of
lying groped against the side, and
sometimes my cropping was bewildered by
coming across recesses into which n :
hands guided me.


At length / saw star, tremulous, glor-
ious, in the distance. It was daylight
the aperture of the tannel-and I pushed
forward with invigorated spirits. l neared
it slowly; for this star maintained an in
exorable distance, and would not enlarge.


How shall describe my joy as gained
the twilight of its rehection-as I advane-
ed and felt the pure air of heaven upon nv
dry cheeks and burning hps-as I saw
the blue sky and dim vista of pale green
banks


seated myself to recover my strength.
[ could see l was dismal and terrible
spectacle. My coat was torn, my hands
were black-so, too, 1 judged, was my face
my collar had been torn from me, and
the skin at the end of my fingers was lacer-
ated. After reposing myself climbed the
bank, and perceived about the distance OF
a mile small st.tion. l made towards it,
and had gained it. A railway official, who
was standing looking at two children play
ing IN back garden, uttered loud cry of
alarm as he spied me. l naErated my
story to him as coherently as 1 could, and
then sank upon the ground in a fainting
condition.


Of what happened after this l have no
When came to my senses
| discovered that l had been taken to the
house of the station master, and carefully
tended by his wife. From him | learned
the conclusion of this singular incident in
my life. 1t seems that after my story had
been told, two men were disI .tched in
to the tunnel in search of my assailant.
They discovered him lying dead, with both
his legs cut clean off little above the knees
They bore the corpse to an adjacent dead.
house, and an inquiry into his death brought