lant young engineer. Ralph was learning a good deal lately, and
his mind was always strictly on the business of the moment when at the
throttle. He was learning that there was a science in running a
locomotive a good deal deeper than merely operating throttle, brake
and lever automatically. There was a way to conserve the steam energy
and reserve wide-open tactics for full pressure that he had found out,
which enabled him to spurt when the chance came, at no cost of
exhaustion later. He knew the gauges by heart, how to utilize the
exhaust, and worked something along the line of the new superheated
steam theory.

The night had set in very dark and very stormy. They had nothing to
look out for, however, on the out track except an accommodation that
had started two hours previous. No. 999 had a light load, and she sped
along without a jar. The wires took care of her. By nine o'clock they
were twenty miles "to the good" on regular schedule basis.

After that it was slower progress. The wind had arisen to a hurricane,
the rain came down in torrents, and as they passed Winston they began
to get in among the hills, where there was a series of intricate and
dangerous curves.

"It's nearly a waterspout," observed Fogg, as the rain swept against
the cab as if driven from a full pressure hose, and they could feel
the staunch locomotive quiver as it breasted great sweeps of the wind.
"I don't like that," he muttered, as a great clump came against the
cab curtain. And he and his engineer both knew what it was from past
experience.

"One of those young landslides," spoke Ralph.

"The second in a half-an-hour," declared Fogg. "It's clear mud, but
sometime in one of these storms we'll get a big drop of rock, and
there'll be mischief afoot."

Ralph slowed as they entered a long stretch known as Widener's Gap. It
was a pull up hill. Besides that, Widener was only two miles ahead,
and the curves were so sharp and frequent that they could not catch
the semaphore at any distance.

Both engineer and fireman were under an intense strain, and Ralph kept
a keen lookout from his cab window. Fogg was doing the same. Suddenly
he uttered a great shout. It was echoed by Ralph, for there was cause
for excitement.

"A tree!" yelled Fogg.

Ralph set the air and pulled the lever in a flash. What the gleaming
headlight of No. 999 had shown, however, they were upon in a leap.
They could feel a grinding jar, but the pilot had evidently swept th