a steep
sloping bank on either side. Now, this afternoon there was a slip;
most all the snow drifted there, and part of the bank itself fell in,
and so there is a block-up. As I said afore, the mineral train, she
comes up first, and she sticks fast, and then we has to follow, as a
matter in course. But had my old Bison been afront, he'd have done
differently, I make no doubt."

"Is your engine a much stronger one?" said Archy, greatly amused to
hear how funny it was to call a train she, while he called the engine
he, and by an animal's name, too.

"It's not that he's stronger, sir, but he's got more go in him, has
the Bison. He's an extraordinary plucky engine. I've seen him do
wonderful things when Mat Whitelaw was driver, and me stoker to 'em.
I'll just tell you one on 'em, and then ye can judge what sort o'
stuff the Bison's made o'. It was one day in summer, some two years
ago; we had just taken in water at the junction, and were about to run
back to couple on the coaches, when an engine passed us tearing along
at a tremendous speed on the other line o' rail, but, mark me, without
a driver or stoker, or aught else on it. I thought my mate was mad,
when he got up steam, and off in the same direction; but in a moment
I saw what he was up to. The Bison was going in the chase. 'See to the
brake, John,' was all Mat said, when off we were after the runaway at
full speed. It seemed to me nought but a wild-goose chase; for, d'ye
see, master, we were on another line o' rails altogether. But Mat knew
what he was about, and it was my place to do his bidding. I was always
proud o' the old Bison before that morning, but I never knew till then
what a good engine was, and what was depending on it.

"You would have thought he fairly snorted to his work, going at the
rate o' forty miles an hour we were, and at last we got abreast o' the
runaway engine, and could have passed him, but that would have been
useless. There wasn't another driver on the whole line would have
thought of the thing so quickly as Mat did, nor could have regulated
the speed so nicely to a moment. The two different engines were
running just opposite each other on the two different lines, the
runaway being a good deal worn out now, and going much slower than at
first, when Mat he says to me, hoarsely, 'Jump across. It'll be safer
if I stick here to hold the regulator; but I'll go, if you'd rather
stay.' I had such confidence in Mat Whitelaw, that I could trus