Year: 1871

tain, mile and half away. I could
60 round by the trail, three miles, or
ride up to the railroad track, tie my
horse, and walk through the snow sheds,
a little more than a mile-it was con
trary to the rules to take an animal
inside the sheds.


I started UP toward the track, and
reached it at a. m. The night was
now clear and still; not the least noise
could be heard, and the silence was
something awful and oppressive. The
last man and the last horse on earth
will not feel more completely alone than
Jerky and I did at that moment. AS |
was about to dismount and tie him to a
tree, thought struck me. | knew
every regular train on the road, and
there was none due for hours from either
direction. | had timetable in my
pocket, and l took it out and carefully
examined it by the moonlight. The
track was clear; why might | not ven
ture to save my strength and that OF the
horse, and, be saving time, perhaps save
valuable human life as we'll? Why
not, indeed? The more | thought of it
the more satisfied [ became that it was
safe thing to do.


The moon, now obscured, was high in
the heavens as | entered the snow-shed,
and it was very difficult to keep the
way, as the light came scintillating
through thousand cracks and crevices
| in the rough timber structure. Three
or four culverts, to allow the passage of
| mountain streams when the snow is
melting, checked my progress for brief
time, but there was a plank across one
or two, for the convenience of " foot pas
sengers,"' and, as the water was hard
frozen, got old Jerky around the others
in safety.


The worst was over, and was already
| beginning to chuckle over the adven-
ture, and to pride myself on my fore
thou ght and pluck in making the ven
ture. I had undoubtedly saved at least
an hour of hard work wading through
the snow, and possibly--not improbably,
in fact-saved life. Just then | heard
a low, tremulous, humming noise run
ming along the frost-laden rails, and in
stinctively checked my horse to listen.
1t had subsidized for moment, and L
went on in silence. Suddenly it COM
menced again, and seemed louder and
clearer than before. | halted again.
God have mercy upon me | exclaimed,
involuntarily. 1t was the rumbllng OF
the wheels of coming train, beyond a
question. [ sprang to the ground and
placed my ear to the rail. The train
was coming from the west; it must be a
construction train," laden with mate
rials for the road, and possibly with
laborers as well. The train occupied the
full width of the shed, allowing only for
the overhanging of the cars.


A man might escape by lying down,
but a horse was almost sure OF death,
and if the train struck him it must go
off the track almost inevitably. [ was
upon old Jerkys back before | was even
aware of what I intended to do, and
started down the grade, to the eastward,
as fast as whip and spur and the attrac-
ton of gravitation could move him.
Clearer and clearer came the humming
noise. and [ heard, at length, a short,
sharp whistle, as the rushing train en-
tered tunnel, turned curve, or passed
out of tunnel. 1t could not be more
than two miles, or three at the most,
away. Jerky skated overthe ice patches,
and fioundered through the snow-drifts
which had filtered in through the crew
ices in the shed-work, but reckless of
danger to limbs alone in the presence of
the greater danger to 1nyself, and per-
haps hundreds of my fellow |
whipped and spurred increasingly, and
drove him at the height of his speed.
Nearer and nearer came the train L
could already hear the cough, cough,
cough of the locomotive behind me. At
last I saw an opening in the side of the
shed, not many rod. distant, and, with a
triumphant yell, 1 urged my steed to
put forth his utmost effort. Sixty sec
onds more and | would be saved, and
| the danger to the train avoided. The
seconds seemed hours in the feverish
excitement of the moment, but they
were over at last, and l sprang off my
horse on the instant that he reached the
opening, and rushed, with the rein in
my hand, through the aperture. God
Jerky snorted and sprang backward,
throwing me down and pulling the reins
from my hand. | saw the trouble at a
| glance. The opening was not of sutfi-
cient height to admit of horse going
through it erect, and heavy timber to
which the planks were nailed ran across
| the top.


l sprang inside and took survey of
the situation in an instant. The beam
had borne ten times the strain that L
could have brought to bear on it, as it
was foot thick, sound and firmly
placed. I threw all my strenth and
weight against the planking little be-
yond the beam and fell back upon the
icy ground the planks were imbedded
in the frozen ground at their lower ends,
and could not start them in the slight
est degree. sprang up and run to the
! other side of the she'd to try if the
planking on the other side was less Sc
cured. Through the crevices | saw a
precipice running hundreds of feet
Sheer down from the side of the shed. l
could not escape that way, and if the
the train went off there, no person on 1T
would survive to tell the tale.


I fell on my knees to pray, but, be-
fore | had uttered word, the thought
passed through my brain that | might
throw the horse down, and pull him
through the opening by main strength.
| had the rope from the saddle in an
instant, and throwing it around his fore
legs, I sprang to one side, and with my
whole strength attempted to trip him.
The brute jumped backwards and re-
fused to fall, while the rope ran through
my hands, tearing the skin and soaring
the flesh as if I had grasped red-hot
iron. | remembered at that moment
having seen Mexican vaqtero showing
off his skill at San Jose, amid an admir-
ing throng, and making the sneering re-
mark to a friend, ''And he is nothing
| but q h11Il-driver after all p In that