passenger train was due in an hour, and that it would be
impossible to proceed until its arrival. I showed him the time card to
satisfy him I was telling the truth, and remarked that advantage might
be taken of the time by having supper. Accordingly all of them, left
the Arequipena except Don Rodrigo and the three soldiers. The officers
left their arms in the little coach. Now was the time to act. Should I
fail now, no other chance would present itself, for, after the arrival
of the passenger train, the only stop would be at Sumbay bridge, when
it would be too late. I figured that, after Van Buren had received my
message from Juliaca the troops could not possibly arrive at Sumbay
bridge before eight o'clock that night. It was four o'clock when we
reached Vincocaya and the passenger would be leaving Sumbay station.
Pucacancha was another station between Sumbay and Vincocaya. The grade
being 160 feet to the mile, the train makes very slow time between
Sumbay and Pucacancha. It was my only hope to succeed in getting to
Pucacancha before the arrival of the passenger train.

I was nervous. I got off the engine, then called to Manuel to hand me
another oil can. I spoke to him in English to have everything ready. I
was going to run away with the engine--would he assist me? This I
asked while I was pretending to oil the engine, and I had to trust
largely to Manuel's intuition, as he knew but little English. He
returned to the engine and raised a full head of steam. I noticed Don
Rodrigo watching me from one of the side doors of the coach. I climbed
back on the engine and put away the oil can, when Rodrigo said with a
significant tone: "My time will soon come when I can avenge the insult
I received at Tiravaya."

I did not answer. I knew his meaning. When my services were no longer
required, he would, with his cowardly instinct, devise a means to kill
me. The three soldiers were a fair sample of the poor ignorant
Peruvians. They were armed with breech-loading rifles of French
pattern, bayonets fixed. After Rodrigo had muttered his threat, he
went into the little coach, sitting directly behind me, and could, by
his position, observe every move I made. Manuel was standing on the
left watching me. Although I had endeavored to make him understand, he
was not aware of my plans. I looked back and saw the troop train
taking water at the tank. I looked at Manuel, and he understood "the
time had come."

With my left hand, I threw the