l you be all right till I get
back?" the young man asked.

"I reckon. Hop along lively. I'm right in the jam here."

The conductor stopped the train. With the help of the crew Dave got
Garrison back to the caboose. There was no doubt that the leg was broken.
It was decided to put the injured man off at the next station, send him
back by the up train, and wire West that Dave would see the cattle got
through all right. This was done.

Dave got no more sleep that night. He had never been busier in his life.
Before morning broke half the calves were unable to keep their feet. The
only thing to do was to reload.

He went to the conductor and asked for a siding. The man running the
train was annoyed, but he did not say so. He played for time.

"All right. We'll come to one after a while and I'll put you on it," he
promised.

Half an hour later the train rumbled merrily past a siding without
stopping. Dave walked back along the roof to the caboose.

"We've just passed a siding," he told the trainman.

"Couldn't stop there. A freight behind us has orders to take that to let
the Limited pass," he said glibly.

Dave suspected he was lying, but he could not prove it. He asked where
the next siding was.

"A little ways down," said a brakeman.

The puncher saw his left eyelid droop in a wink to the conductor. He knew
now that they were "stalling" for time. The end of their run lay only
thirty miles away. They had no intention of losing two or three hours'
time while the cattle were reloaded. After the train reached the division
point another conductor and crew would have to wrestle with the problem.

Young Sanders felt keenly his inexperience. They were taking advantage of
him because he was a boy. He did not know what to do. He had a right to
insist on a siding, but it was not his business to decide which one.

The train rolled past another siding and into the yards of the division
town. At once Dave hurried to the station. The conductor about to take
charge of the train was talking with the one just leaving. The
range-rider saw them look at him and laugh as he approached. His blood
began to warm.

"I want you to run this train onto a siding," he said at once.

"You the train dispatcher?" asked the new man satirically.

"You know who I am. I'll say right now that the cattle on this train are
suffering. Some won't last another hour. I'm goin' to reload."

"Are you? I guess not. This train's going out soon as we'v