THE RELIEF TRAIN
"Look out!" yelled Frank.
"The boiler has blown up!" added Andy. "Run for cover!"
But there was no need, even had there been time to do so--to race
against the awful speed and power of steam--for the one explosion was
followed by no others.
For a moment the air was filled with flying debris, pieces of the
locomotive boiler, and bits of the wrecked cars. But, fortunately,
the mass scattered, and fell to one side, so that none of it hit the
unfortunate survivors of the wreck.
The man whom Billy had called Shackmiller--the man he so feared--had
been hurled forward, rather than up, as though blown along, slightly
above the surface of the ground by some mighty wind.
"That's the end of him!" cried Frank. "He'll be killed sure!"
"How did he happen to be near the boiler?" asked Andy, but there was no
chance to answer him, had anyone been so inclined. For at that instant
the crumpled-up body of the man fell on a pile of the car seat cushions
that had been carried out to make beds for the wounded ones.
"Let's see how badly he is hurt," suggested Billy. "Poor fellow. I hate
to see him suffer, even if he is a plotter."
They rushed toward where the man had landed. So did a number of
others--nearly all save those who were looking after the injured
passengers.
"He's done for," murmured Billy. But even as he spoke the man moved.
"Quick! Get the doctor here!" called the conductor of the train, and
the much over-worked physician began to work on the man.
"Say, that was a close call for us," remarked Andy, when the excitement
had somewhat calmed down.
"I should say yes," agreed his brother.
"And on our first day out," added Billy. "I'm afraid you fellows will
think I got you in bad, having a railroad smash to start off with."
"That part's all right," said Andy. "We like the excitement, but----"
"Well, if he hasn't nerve!" exclaimed Frank. "Is that all the sympathy
you have for the ones who were hurt?"
"Of course not!" snapped Andy. "I'm as sorry as you are that any one
was injured, but as long as we're in for excitement we might as well
have a railroad wreck as anything else."
"You're the limit," said Frank. "Well, now that the boiler has gone
up, and there's no danger from that, let's finish looking at what we
started to see when the steam went off."
But it was not easy to approach very close, as the splintered box cars,
into which the locomotive had plowed, were now blazing fiercely. There
was no means of extinguishing the fire, and it simply had to be allowed
to burn itself out. The wounded had been carried to places of safety,
and were now resting on the car seats. The man who had followed our
heroes was the worst hurt of any, and the doctor did not have much hope
for him.
The trainmen were getting out the baggage of the passengers, and
helping the express and mail clerks to save the contents of their cars
before the fire should spread to them.
In a great measure, however, the excitement caused by the wreck had
calmed down, when it was found there was no loss of life.
The accident had occurred while the train was passing through a farming
section, and soon the countrymen, for miles around, flocked to the
scene, coming in wagons and on foot. They offered to care for any who
did not want to continue their journey, and some women, whose nerves
were shattered, took advantage of the kind offers.
Not so the little old lady on whom Andy had been playing the innocent
trick when the smash came. She was as calm and collected as she had
been at first. And the man whose wig had come off had somewhat regained
his composure.
"I should think you could get a relief train here before this!" the man
snapped to the conductor.
"It's coming--it's coming," said that much-harassed official. "They're
coming as fast as they can get here."
"Well, I'm going to sue your road for damages, whether I'm hurt or
not," the man went on. "I'll be delayed, anyhow, and I'm going to have
satisfaction."
"I hope you get it," murmured the conductor, as he hurried off to see
that the others of the train crew were getting the baggage and other
stuff out of the way of the advancing flames.
The three boys walked about, lending a hand whenever they could, and
talking about the accident. They had a glimpse of the locomotive,
almost turned over, where it had crashed into the cars, and had reared
up.
"That's what made the boiler explode," was Frank's opinion. "The water
level was changed, and some part of the boiler had none in. The fire
kept getting hotter and hotter and the steam got to such a pressure
that it blew the steel apart."
"If it had happened a minute later we'd have been in it," said Andy. "I
wonder what Shackmiller was doing so near the engine--that is, if it
was he?"
"Oh, it was he, all right," was Billy's comment. "I'm sure I wasn't
mistaken, even though he had shaved off his black beard. He was
following me. Probably he was in some other car all the while, and when
the crash came, fearing I might see him, he ran up ahead to hide. Then
he got near the boiler just as the explosion came. Well, I don't wish
him any bad luck, but I hope this ends his following me."
"Have you the paper safe?" asked Andy.
"Yes, it's all right--pinned to the inside of my vest pocket," was the
answer.
There was a shrill whistling down the track, and the sound of a
fast-puffing locomotive that could be heard above the roar and crackle
of the flames. A flagman came running up to the group of trainmen and
others who surrounded the place where the injured ones lay.
"The relief train!" he shouted, waving his red flag. "Here is the
relief train!"
"That's good," said the doctor with a sigh of satisfaction. "I need
medicines and bandages for these injured. It didn't come any too soon
for him," he added, and nodded toward Shackmiller.