he eyes of the prostrate man flickered, and opened.
Alex dodged back, lest the oiler should betray his presence to the men on
the car. As he dropped down there came the recollection that there were
two seats on the velocipede. Why not take the man with him, if he
sufficiently recovered? Good!

Anxiously Alex watched as the stunned man blinked about him. Finally
comprehension, then a hot flush of rage appeared in the oiler's face, and
with a violent kick he twisted about toward the car.

Springing into view, Alex caught the oiler's startled eye, and made a
warning gesture. The man stared dully for a moment, then nodded, and on
Alex's further urgent signalling, dropped back and again closed his eyes.
Alex produced and opened his jack-knife.

The men above were busily fumbling about in the engine-room. Only pausing
to make sure they were entirely occupied, Alex slipped forth, cautiously
crept down the embankment, reached the bound man, and with a slash of the
knife freed his feet and hands.

"Let us slip back to the velocipede--it's ready to throw on the
rails--and make a dash of it for the junction," Alex whispered. The oiler
arose, and with one eye on the engine-room door they crept up under the
edge of the car, and on toward the rear of the train.

They reached the little track-car, and cautiously lifted it onto the
rails.

"Better push it a ways," the oiler advised in a low voice. "They might
hear the rumble, with our weight on it."

Gently they set the velocipede in motion. With the first move one of the
wheels gave forth a shrill screech. The two paused as the sounds on the
pilot-car immediately ceased.

"If we hear one of them going to the edge to look for me, we'll make a
run of it," said the oiler.

"They may go on tiptoe," Alex pointed out.

The suggestion was followed by a sharp exclamation from the head of the
train. "The oiler's gone!" cried a voice. Simultaneously there was the
sound of someone springing to the ground, and Alex and the oiler
scrambled into the velocipede seats, Alex facing the rear, and threw
themselves against the handles. The oilless wheel again screeched, and
from the pilot-car rose the cry, "Around at the end! Quick!"

Alex and the oiler wrenched the handles backwards and forwards with all
their might, and the little car leaped ahead. Before they had gained full
headway, however, one of the machine-wreckers appeared about the end of
the train, and with a cry to his companion,