a matter of moments, and it seemed to be directly after my
fellow-passenger had spoken first that he roared out, "Do you hear, sir?
Come here!"

I did not move, and he made a dash at me, but, as he did, my right hand
rested on the fastening of the door outside, turned the handle, and
clinging to it, I swung out into the rushing wind, turning half round as
the door banged heavily back, when, by an instinctive motion, my left
hand caught at anything to save me from falling, grasped the bar that
ran along between door and door, and the next moment, how I know not, I
was clinging to this bar with my feet on the foot-board, and my eyes
strained back at the open door, out of which my fellow-passenger leaned.

"You young idiot, come back!" he roared; but the effect of his words was
to make me shrink farther away, catching at the handle of the next door,
and then reaching on to the next bar, so that I was now several feet
away.

The wind seemed as if it would tear me from the foot-board, and I was
obliged to keep my face away to breathe; but I clung to the bar tightly,
and watched the fierce face that was thrust out of the door I had left.

"Am I to come after you?" he roared. "Come back!"

My answer was to creep past another door, to find to my horror that this
was the last, and that there was a great gap between me and the next
carriage.

What was I to do? Jump, with the train dashing along at such a rate
that it seemed as if I must be shaken down or torn off by the wind.

I stared back horror-stricken and then uttered a cry of fear, as the
window I had just passed was thrown open and a man leaned out.

"I'll swear I heard someone shout," he said to a travelling companion,
and he looked back along the train. "Yes," he continued, "there's
someone three compartments back looking out. Oh, he's gone in now.
Wonder what it was!"

Just then he turned his head in my direction, and saw my white face.

I saw him start as I clung there just a little way below him to his
right, and within easy reach, and, for I should think a minute, we
stared hard at each other.

Then he spoke in a quiet matter-of-fact way.

"Don't be scared, my lad," he said; "it's alright. I can take hold of
you tightly. Hold fast till I get you by the arms. That's it; now
loose your right hand and take hold of the door; here pass it in.
That's the way; edge along. I've got you tight. Come along; now the
other hand in. That's the way."

I o