Chasing an Iron Horse Part 13

More citizens were running over from the station to find out the cause of the disturbance.

"I don't know you, and I won't take any orders from you!" said the switch-tender, more doggedly than ever. He walked over to the station, where he hung up the keys of the switch in the room of the ticket-seller.

In a twinkling Andrews had followed him, and was already in the ticket room.

"You'll be sorry for this," he cried; "for I'll report your rascally conduct to General Beauregard!" He seized the keys as he spoke, and shook them in the old man's face.

The latter looked puzzled. He had begun to think that this business of sending powder to Beauregard was a trick of some kind, yet the confident bearing of the leader impressed him at this crisis. Perhaps he had made a mistake in refusing to obey the orders; but ere he could decide the knotty problem Andrews took the keys, hurried from the station, and unlocked the switch. Then he jumped into the cab, as he shouted to the men near the engine: "Tell your switch-tender that he will hear from General Beauregard for this!" He gave a signal, and the engineer grasped the lever and opened the steam valve.

"The General" slowly left the siding and turned into the main track. As the train pa.s.sed the station, heading towards the north, the switch-tender was standing on the platform, with a dazed expression in his eyes. Andrews tossed the keys to him, as he cried: "Forgive me for being in such a hurry, but the Confederacy can't wait for you!" Soon Kingston was left behind.

"Keep 'The General' going at forty miles an hour," said the leader. "We have only the two trains to meet now--a pa.s.senger and a freight--which won't give us any trouble. I tell you, we had a narrow escape at Kingston.

More than once I thought we were all done for."

"I was pretty well scared when that rascal of a Waggie barked," observed George. The train was now gliding swiftly on past hills and woods and quiet pasture-lands. After the long delay the sensation of rapid motion was delightful.

"By Jove!" cried Andrews, with a tinge of humor. "You must bring that rogue back with you into the engine. When he barks in a place where there's supposed to be nothing but powder the thing doesn't seem quite logical. It throws discredit on an otherwise plausible story. Let us stop a couple of miles from here, near Adairsville, do some wire-cutting, release Waggie, and see how the fellows are getting along in the baggage car."

When the stop was made the men in the car quickly opened the door and came tumbling to the ground. They were glad to stretch their legs and get a breath of fresh air. Waggie bounded and frisked with delight when he espied George.

"I've had a time with that dog," said Jenks. "I had a flask of water with me, and he insisted on my pouring every bit of it out on the palm of my hand, and letting him lap it."

The other occupants of the car were crowding around Andrews, as they discussed with him the fortunate escape from Kingston. Watson, who seemed to be fired with a sudden enthusiasm, addressed the party.

"Boys," he said, "when I heard that switch-tender refuse to put us on the main track I thought our hour had come. But the coolness and the presence of mind of our friend Andrews have saved the day. Let us give him three cheers! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"

The cheers were given with a will.

"Thank you, comrades," said Andrews, modestly. "But don't waste any time on me; I only did what any other man would have done in my place. Let's get to work again--time's precious."

At a hint from him George clambered up a telegraph pole, taking with him a piece of cord by which he afterwards drew up an axe. Then he cut the wire, while others in the party were removing three rails from the track in the rear of the train. The rails were afterwards deposited in the baggage car occupied by the men, as were also some wooden cross-ties which were found near the road-bed.

"All this may be a waste of time," said Andrews. "We shall probably be in Chattanooga before any one has a chance to chase us."

"Yet I have a presentiment that we shall be chased," cried Macgreggor. "I believe there will be a hot pursuit."

His hearers, including Andrews, laughed, almost scornfully.

"Just wait and see," returned Macgreggor. "A Southerner is as brave, and has as much brains as a Northerner."

We shall see who was right in the matter.

CHAPTER VI

AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE

On sped the fugitive train once more, and in a few minutes it had stopped, with much b.u.mping and rattle of brakes at the station called Adairsville.

Hardly had the wheels of the faithful old "General" ceased revolving before a whistle was heard from the northward.

Andrews peered through the cab up the track. "It's the regular freight,"

he said, and calling to the station hands who were gaping at "Fuller's train," as they supposed it must be, he told them the customary story about the powder designed for General Beauregard. They believed the leader, who spoke with his old air of authority, and they quickly shunted his "special" on to the side track. No sooner had this been accomplished than the freight made its appearance.

As the engine of the latter pa.s.sed slowly by "The General" Andrews shouted to the men in the cab: "Where's the pa.s.senger train that is on the schedule?"

"It ought to be right behind us," came the answer.

"That's good," whispered Andrews. "Once let us pa.s.s that pa.s.senger, and we'll have a clear road to the very end of the line."

In the meantime the freight was moved past the station and switched on to the siding, directly behind the "special," there to wait the arrival of the pa.s.senger train.

George began to grow restless, as the minutes pa.s.sed and no train appeared. At last, with the permission of Andrews, he jumped from the cab, and walked over to the platform, Waggie following close at his heels. He looked anxiously up the track, but he could see nothing, hear nothing.

Two young men, one of them a civilian and the other evidently a soldier who was home on furlough (to judge by his gray uniform and right arm in a sling), were promenading up and down, and smoking clay pipes.

"I don't understand it," the soldier was saying. "They talk about sending powder through to General Beauregard, but it's an utter impossibility to do it."

"You're right," said his friend. "The thing looks fishy. If these fellows are really what they----"

"Hush," whispered the soldier. He pointed to George as he spoke. "Well, you're beginning railroading pretty young," he added aloud, scrutinizing the boy as if he would like to read his inmost thoughts.

"It's never too young to begin," answered the boy, carelessly.

"What is this powder train of yours, anyway?" asked the soldier, in a wheedling voice which was meant to be plausible and friendly.

George had heard enough of the conversation between the two young Southerners to know that they were more than curious about the supposed powder train. And now, he thought, they would try to entrap him into some damaging admission. He must be on his guard. He put on as stupid a look as he could a.s.sume (which was no easy task in the case of a boy with such intelligent features), as he replied stolidly: "Dunno. I've nothing to do with it. I'm only fireman on the engine."

"But you know where you're going?" demanded the soldier, with a gesture of impatience.

"Dunno."

"Who is the tall chap with the beard who has charge of the train?"

"Dunno."

"How much powder have you got on board?"

"Dunno."

"I don't suppose you even know your own name, you little idiot!" cried the soldier. "The boy hasn't got good sense," he said, turning to his friend.

"You were never more mistaken in your life," answered his friend. "He's only playing a game. I know something about faces--and this boy here has lots of sense."

George called Waggie, put the animal in his pocket, and walked to the door of the little station without taking any notice of this compliment to his sagacity. Under the circ.u.mstances he should have preferred the deepest insult. He felt that a long detention at Adairsville would be dangerous, perhaps fatal.

Opening the door, the boy entered the station. It comprised a cheerless waiting-room, with a stove, bench and water-cooler for furniture, and a little ticket office at one end. The ticket office was occupied by the station-agent, who was near the keyboard of the telegraph wire; otherwise the interior of the building was empty.