d out and yelled the rallying-cry of the Knights:

"Asa! Asa!"

The sound of rushing feet was heard, and a man armed with a shot-gun
came into the plane of light from the open caboose door. Shorty was on
the lookout for him, and as he appeared, shouted;

"Halt, there! Drop that gun. If you move I'll kill this whelp here and
then you."

"Do as he says, Stallins," groaned the frightened "Captain." "He's got
the drop on me. Drop your gun, but holler to the boys in the front car
to come out."

To Shorty's amazement a score of men came rushing back from the car
next ahead of the caboose. They had, by a preconcerted arrangement, been
jumping on the train ever since it grew dark, and collected in that car.
Some of them had guns, but the most appeared unarmed.

"Well, I have stirred up a yaller-jacket's nest for sure," thought
Shorty, rather tickled at the odds which were arrayed against him. "But
I believe I kin handle 'em until either the train pulls out or the boys
hear the ruction and come to my help."

Then he called out sternly as he raised the revolver in his left hand:

"I'll shoot the first man that attempts to come on this car, and I'll
kill your Captain, that I've got covered, dead. You man with that
shot-gun, p'int it straight up in the air or I'll drop you in your
tracks. Now fire off both barrels."

It seemed to every man in the gang that Shorty's left-hand revolver
was pointing straight at him. The man with the shot-gun was more than
certain of this, and he at once complied with the order.

There was a whistle, followed by a rush of men from a line further out,
and every man of those around Shorty was either knocked down or rudely
punched with a musket-barrel in the hands of Lieut. Bigelow's squad.

"What in the world made you so long comin'?" asked Shorty, after all the
prisoners had been secured. "Was you asleep?"

"No," answered the Lieutenant. "This is the place where we intended to
get off. We were quietly getting out so as to attract no notice when
you started your circus. I saw you were doing well, hiving those fellows
together, so I let you go ahead, while I slipped the boys around to
gather them all in. Pretty neat job for a starter, wasn't it?"

CHAPTER XIII. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING

BREAKING UP A DEN OF COPPERHEADS.

"COME, hustle these prisoners back into the car in which we were,"
commanded the Lieutenant. "We'll leave it on the switch with a guard.
Lock it up carefully, and one m