PUTTING UP THE TENTS
After the first paralyzing shock of the crash the passengers seemed to
come to their senses. Women who had been screaming ceased, and children
stopped their frightened crying. Men began to gather themselves
together, to crawl out from under seats where the sudden stop had thrown
them, and prepared to leave the car.
"What's the matter, conductor?" called Bart to that official, as he was
hurrying out of the car.
"Don't know--yet," was the answer flung back over his shoulder.
"We'll go see," spoke Ned. "Anyhow, our car's not smashed; that's one
good thing."
"No, and it doesn't seem to have left the track," observed Frank. "Maybe
we only hit an obstruction."
By this time the four chums were out of their car, and they were
followed by a number of men passengers. From other cars a like stream
was pouring.
One glance sufficed to show that whatever the wreck was, it was not a
terrible one, for there were no telescoped coaches, and, in fact, none
seemed to have left the rails, while as for the engine that, too, seemed
to be in its usual place at the head of the coaches. The crowd was
moving toward the forward end, and thither Bart and his companions went.
Matters were becoming quiet, and it was evident that no one was
seriously hurt.
The boys found quite a throng around the engine, and they could now see
that the cab, on one side, was splintered, and that the forward end of
the coach next to the engine, which was the baggage car, was also
damaged.
"What's the matter? What happened?" scores of voices asked the railroad
men, who, including the fireman and engineer, were examining the
locomotive.
"Driving rod broke," explained the conductor. "It threshed around like a
flail, and smashed the cab, on the fireman's side of the engine. Luckily
he was putting on coal, or he'd been killed. Then the engineer threw on
the emergency brake, and the front end of the baggage car crumpled up.
Luckily it's no worse. Has any one heard of any persons being hurt?" the
conductor asked the crowd.
"I guess bruises and cuts from broken windows will be about the extent
of the injuries, conductor," replied a fat man. "But how long are we
likely to be delayed here? I have an important engagement in Vailton
to-day."
"We'll have to wait until we can telegraph for another engine," replied
the railroad man. "It will take several hours, I'm afraid."
There were some expressions of dismay, but, in general, the crowd was
thankful that it was no worse. The engineer and fireman were busy trying
to get the bent driving rod loose from where it had jammed up somewhere
in the interior of the locomotive.
"Let's go back in our car, and look after our things," proposed Bart.
"We can't do any good here, and it's cold," for they had rushed out
without their overcoats. The other passengers were returning to their
coaches by this time, leaving the problem of moving the train with the
railroad men.
The four chums had been in their seats but a short time, having found
their possessions somewhat scattered, but safe, when a brakeman came
hurrying in. He hastened to the glass-fronted toolbox, fastened near the
ceiling in the center of the car.
"I've got to get out that sledge-hammer, axe and saw," he explained to a
woman, who was sitting in the seat under the case. "May I ask you to
move, madam?" She did so, and then the brakeman was in a quandary, for
it was necessary to break the glass in order to get at the tools. The
trainman looked about helplessly, for he had not been on the road long.
Bart saw his difficulty.
"Here, I'll break the glass," volunteered the lad. "Stand back," Bart
produced the black, lucky stone which Jed had given him, and threw it
through the glass front.
There was a crashing, splintering sound, and the glass was in fragments.
The brakeman could get at the tools, which he quickly did, hurrying out
with them.
"Well, that lucky stone came in handy, after all," remarked Ned.
"It sure did," agreed Bart, "though he could have used the end of a flag
stick just as well, if he had thought of it."
While the engineer, firemen, and some of the brakemen worked over the
disabled engine, another trainman walked back to the nearest telegraph
office to summon a relief engine. Meanwhile the passengers waited with
what patience they could.
"Well, suppose we eat now," proposed Bart.
"Good!" exclaimed Frank. "Pass out the sandwiches," which Bart proceeded
to do.
In the seat across the aisle from the boys was a little girl. Hungrily
she eyed the food as it came out of the baskets, and, in a voice that
could be heard from one end of the car to the other, she piped out:
"Mamma, I'm hungry. Why didn't we bring some lunch?"
"Hush, dear," said the child's mother. "We will soon be at our station,
and we can get something to eat."
"Not very likely to be there soon, ma'am," observed the fat man, who was
in a hurry. "By Jove, I wish I'd thought to bring a snack. I will, next
time I travel on this road."
"But, mamma, I'm awful hungry," insisted the child, as she gazed eagerly
at the chums who were munching away in great enjoyment.
"Hush!" begged the mother, but the child repeated her request for
something to eat.
"Here," spoke Bart, suddenly, and passed over a chicken sandwich to the
little girl. "Will you let her take it?" he asked the mother.
"Certainly, but I'm afraid it will be robbing you."
"Not at all, we have plenty. Perhaps you'd like one too?" and Bart
handed the woman one, which she received with thanks.
"I'll give you a dollar for two sandwiches, young man," said the fat
man, eagerly.
Bart hesitated. At the same time several other children in the car,
seeing the girl eating, began to demand food.
"I say, fellows," said Bart, quickly. "I'll tell you what's let's do!
We'll distribute our lunch among the youngsters on the train. There must
be several of them, and they're all hungry. It will be some time before
they can get to where there's lunch."
To the credit of the Darewell Chums be it said that they did not
hesitate a moment.
"Go ahead," exclaimed Ned, and the others nodded assent.
"I wish you'd accept my offer before you came to that conclusion,"
sighed the fat man. "But go ahead. The kids will be glad to get it. I'll
have to dine off chocolate caramels, I guess."
Bart's plan was soon in operation, to the delight of a number of boys
and girls, no less than their distracted mothers. As for the chums, they
had each eaten a sandwich before giving away their lunch, and they
thought they could stand it until they got to Cannistota. They were
given an informal vote of thanks by the grateful parents.
Then ensued tedious waiting until the relief engine came. There were
many murmurs, and much fault-finding, but there was no help for it. The
candy boy sold out his stock of sweet stuff in record time, even down
to the chewing gum. At length a welcome whistle was heard, and soon the
train was under way again.
"Well," remarked Ned, as he settled back in his seat, "we will enjoy our
supper, anyhow."
"Yes," remarked Bart. "I don't altogether believe in Jed's good luck
signs. I'd just as soon he would have omitted some of 'em."
"Oh, well, we'll be in camp to-morrow," announced Frank. "Then we can
eat whenever we feel like it."
The chums were late in arriving in Cannistota, and they went at once to
a hotel. They had arranged to do this anyhow, as they knew there would
not be time to put up tents the same day that they started off on their
camping trip. After a substantial meal, to make up for their light
dinner, they inquired at the express office, and learned that their camp
stuff had arrived safely. They arranged for a teamster to take it to the
woods where they had decided to pitch their tents, and early the next
morning they were under way.
"It's a dandy day," observed Fenn, as he looked at the cloudless sky
overhead, and saw the piles of snow on every side.
"A little too warm," was Bart's opinion. "Still, it may not be thawing
so much in the woods. I'm anxious to get a shot at something. We can't
hunt deer, you know, when there's tracking snow, but I hear there are
bears where we are going."
"A feller I know killed a big one last week, not a great ways from where
you're going," observed the teamster.
"That's the stuff!" cried Bart, as he looked to make sure he had his
favorite rifle.
In due time the camping site was reached, the teamster helped them
unload, and then drove back, leaving the four chums alone in quite a
lonely stretch of wilderness. But they were used to depending on
themselves, they knew they had plenty of food, and they hoped to procure
more with their guns.
"First thing on the programme is to make the camp-fire, and then set up
the tents," declared Bart, who constituted himself a sort of leader.
Previous experience stood the boys in good stead, and in a short time a
roaring fire was blazing, and a kettle of soup in the making was
suspended over it. Then the canvas shelters were put up.
It was not easy work, and the boys labored hard, but at last the white
tent stood among the trees, making a picturesque spot in the wilderness.
Then the cooking shelter was put up, and the stove set, after which
Fenn, who constituted himself cook on this occasion, served dinner.
The rest of the day was spent in cutting firewood, seeing to the
fastenings of the tents, putting up cots, arranging their baggage and
food supplies, and in putting together their shot guns and rifles, for
each lad had two weapons.
By this time it was nearly night-fall, and some lanterns were lighted,
and hung within and without the tent, giving the place a cheerful look.
As Fenn was walking about, getting ready for a late supper, he stumbled
over something, and nearly fell.
"What's that, a tree root?" asked Bart. "If it is, chop it out, or we'll
all be doing the same thing."
"It wasn't a tree root," observed Fenn, as he turned to examine the
object. "By cracky, boys!" he exclaimed. "Look here! It's a whopping big
mud turtle!"