y cling and wait in terror for what was to
come.

The cars swayed as they went around a curve. Jack lifted his head and
peered forward.

"Hold fast!" he shouted. "We're going to strike something in a minute!"

He had looked up in time to see that the track siding came to an abrupt
end about a quarter of a mile further on, the rails stopping in a sand
bank.

Hardly had the boys time to take a tighter grip with their fingers on
the boards to which they were clinging, when the whole string of freight
cars seemed to crumple up like a collection of paper vehicles.

There was a grinding, sickening crash, a succession of heavy jolts, a
piling up of one car on top of another, a splintering of wood, a rending
of iron and steel, and then with one terrible smash, with one final
roar, the runaway freight piled itself up in a mass of shattered cars
against the sand hill, at the base of which the rails came to an end. It
was a fearful wreck.

"Hold fast!" were the last words Jack cried to his companion. His voice
sounded faint above the din.

"Where are you, Jack?" he heard Mark shout in reply.

Then all became dark, and the boys lost their senses as they were hurled
into the splintered mass of wreckage.

CHAPTER III

A STRANGE RESCUER

"For de land sakes, Perfessor, hurry up! Heah's de stupenduousness
conglomeration dat eber transcribed dis terresterial hemisphere!"
exclaimed a stout, jolly looking colored man a few seconds after the
crash of the wreck had ceased echoing.

"What is it, Washington?" asked a mild mannered elderly gentleman, with
long flowing hair and beard, who, with the negro, had been walking in a
field close to the railroad.

"I doan perzackly know, Perfessor, but it seems like there was a
discontinuation ob de transportation facilities, when some sudden
construction on de elongated tempestuousness attached to de railroad
made de cars go bump! bump! Bang! Smack! Crash!"

"Washington! Washington! When will you stop using words that don't mean
anything!" cried the old man, hurrying forward. "I presume you mean
there has been a railroad wreck?"

"That's it, Perfessor. De extenuatin' circumstances ob
transmigration--"

"That will do, Washington!" said the aged man, somewhat sternly. "You
must stop talking, and act. This is no time for foolishness. There may
be people hurt. Come along and let us see what we can do."

"Yes, sah!" replied the negro, calming down.

Then the two hurried down