old up here," said Collins.

Casey removed his pipe to refill it. "Ah-huh!" he grunted.

"Wire from Medicine Bow--order to stop General Lodge's train--three
hundred Sioux in ambush near this station--Lodge's train between here
and Roaring City," breathlessly went on the operator.

"An' the message come from Medicine Bow!" ejaculated Casey, while his
men gaped and muttered.

"Yes. It must have been sent here last night. But O'Neil, the night
operator, was dead. Murdered by Indians while we slept."

"Thot's hell!" replied Casey, seriously, as he lit his pipe.

"The message went through to Medicine Bow. Stacey down there sent it
back to me. I tried to get Hills at Roaring City. No go! The wire's
cut!"

"An' shure the gineral's train has left--wot's that new camp--Roarin'
wot?"

"Roaring City.... General Lodge went through two days ago with a private
train. He had soldiers, as usual. But no force to stand off three
hundred Sioux, or even a hundred."

"Wal, the gineral must hev lift Roarin' City--else thot message niver
would hev come."

"So I think.... Now what on earth can we do? The engineer of his train
can't stop for orders short of this station, for the reason that there
are no stations."

"An' thim Sooz is in ambush near here?" queried Casey, reflectively.
"Shure thot could only be in wan place. I rimimber thot higher, narrer
pass."

"Right. It's steep up-grade coming east. Train can be blocked. General
Lodge with his staff and party--and his soldiers--would be massacred
without a chance to fight. That pass always bothered us for fear of
ambush. Now the Sioux have come west far enough to find it.... No chance
on earth for a train there--not if it carried a thousand soldiers."

"Wal, if the gineral an' company was sthopped somewhere beyond thot
pass?" queried Casey, shrewdly, as he took a deep pull at his pipe.

"Then at least they could fight. They have stood off attacks before.
They might hold out for the train following, or even run back."

"Thin, Collins, we've only got to sthop the gineral's train before it
reaches thot dom' trap."

"But we can't!" cried Collins. "The wire is cut. It wouldn't help
matters if it weren't. I thought when I saw your train we might risk
sending the engine on alone. But your engine is behind all these loaded
cars. No switch. Oh, it is damnable!"

"Collins, there's more domnable things than yez ever heerd of.... I'll
sthop Gineral Lodge!"

The brawny Irishman whee