eat towns as Chicago and
Kansas City will each receive and dispose of in one day as many as ten
to twenty thousand cattle, not counting sheep or hogs.

It was when returning to Amarillo after this trip that I was fortunate
enough to save the lives of a whole train-load of people. One night our
passenger train came to a certain station, and the conductor went to get
his orders. Nearly all the passengers were asleep. When he returned I
happened to hear him read his orders over to the brakeman. These orders
were to go on to a certain switch and "side track" till _three_ cattle
trains had passed. At that point there was a very heavy grade and cattle
trains came down it at sixty miles an hour. Two trains swung past us,
and to my surprise the conductor then gave the signal to go ahead. We
did start, when I at once ventured to remark to him that only two trains
had so far gone by. He pooh-poohed my assertion; but after a few minutes
began to think that he himself might just possibly be wrong. Meantime I
got out on the platform and was ready to jump. The conductor most
fortunately reversed the order, and the train was backed on to the
siding again, none too soon, for just then the head-light of the third
cattle train appeared round a curve and came tearing past us. It was a
desperately narrow escape and I did not sleep again that night. Writing
afterwards to the general manager of the railway company about it my
letter was not even acknowledged, and of course no thanks were received.

While on the subject of railroad accidents it has been my misfortune to
have been in many of them, caused by collisions, spreading of rails,
open switches, etc., etc., but I will only detail one or two. Once when
travelling to Amarillo from a Convention at Fort Worth the train was
very crowded and I occupied an upper berth in the Pullman. As American
trains are always doing, trying to make up lost time, we were going at a
pretty good lick when I felt the coach begin to sway. It swayed twice
and then turned completely over and rolled down a high embankment.
Outside was pitch dark and raining. There was a babel of yells and
screams and callings for help. I had practically no clothes on, no
shoes, and of course could find nothing. Everything inside, mattresses,
bedding, curtains, baggage, clothing, babies, women and men were mixed
up in an extraordinary way. Above me I noticed a broken window, through
which I managed to scramble, and on finding out h