Track's End Page 24

  CHAPTER XXI

  After the Explosion: some cheerful Talk with the Thieves, and astrange but welcome Message out of the Storm.

  As I struggled to my feet out of the wreck I was so dazed that I hadto lean against the wall to keep from falling. I felt somethingrunning down my face and at first wondered what it was; then I saw itwas blood. One of my arms felt numb and I was afraid it was broken;and my hands were all torn and bruised. I could not see into the otherbuilding for the smoke and falling snow, but I could hear the groansand curses of the men. I thought that if any of them were able theymight come to take revenge on me, and that I best go away, especiallyas I was helpless with the handcuffs still on my wrists. I managed topull open the front door and ran to Taggart's, thinking that I mightget the handcuffs off in some way.

  I found the box from which Pike had got them. There were two otherpairs, with keys. I took the keys in my teeth and tried, but neitherwould fit mine. Then I went to the tin shop up-stairs. There was afile on the bench and I managed to get this into the vise and beganrubbing the chain up and down on the edge of it. It was the hardestwork I ever did, but I soon saw that I could get my hands free in timeif I kept on. Once or twice I heard Pike shouting something and Icould still hear Kaiser barking in the hotel.

  I don't know how long it took, but at last I got my hands separated,though of course the clasps were still tightly around my wrists. Ilooked out of the window and saw that the sleigh was in front of thebank with a pair of the outlaws' horses hitched to it. I was afraidthat the safe had been blown open with the first explosion and thatthey were getting the money after all. I ran out the back door andalong behind the buildings to the hotel. Kaiser bounded around me, andPawsy was again in her old place over the door.

  I peeped through the cracks in the boards over one of the frontwindows. The whole front of the bank was blown away, but I could justmake out through the snow that the inner door of the safe was stillclosed. Two of the men were lying in the bottom of the sleigh,motionless, whether dead or alive I knew not. Pike was on the floor ofthe bank, propped up on one elbow, giving orders to the one theycalled Joe, who was helping the fifth man into the sleigh, who seemedbadly wounded and sat in the bottom of the box.

  Then Joe went back to help Pike. He took him by the arms and wasdragging him toward the sleigh, when I suddenly made up my mind that Iwould keep Pike. I went to the closet and got Sours's double-barreledshot-gun. I knew there was no weapon that they would fear so much atclose range. I opened the door and walked out into the street withit.

  "Just leave Pike right here," I said. "I'll take care of him. The restof you go on."

  I guess they thought I was buried under the rubbish in the drug store,because I have seldom seen men more astonished. I walked up closer.Even Joe looked half wrecked, and his face was all blackened withpowder.

  "Hello, Jud," called Pike. "You ain't a-going to strike a man whenhe's down, be you, Jud? I might 'a' been harder on you many a timethan I was, Jud."

  "No, I won't hurt you, but you've got to stay, that's all," I said."Help him over to the hotel and then go on with the others and don'tcome back," I added, looking at Joe.

  There was nothing for him but to do as he was told, because I held thegun on them both, and they had heard the click as I drew back thehammers. Pike's left leg seemed to be broken and he was all burned andblackened with the powder. I sent Joe for a mattress, which he put onthe floor of the office and rolled Pike on it. Then he drove off withthe others.

  So that is the whole account of the second visit of the outlaws toTrack's End, just as it all happened, Saturday, March 19th.

  "Now, Pike," I said, after Joe had gone, "the first thing--out withthat handcuff key!"

  He took it from his pocket and gave it to me. I unlocked each of mybracelets. They left deep red marks around my wrists. Pike asked for adrink of water and I got it for him. I could see that he was inpain.

  "You've played it on us again, Jud, I'll be hanged if you ain't," hesaid to me. "What'd you have under that counter, Jud?"

  "A can of blasting-powder," I answered.

  "Dangerous place to store it when there's explosions, and kerosenelamps and hot stoves, and fires, and such truck around. It done usfellers up, and that's a fact."

  "Well, I wasn't trying to make you feel at home," I replied. "How didyou happen to be blowing open other folks's safes?"

  "Oh, it's all right, Jud, it's all right," he said. "I ain't findingno fault. Only I think you'd 'a' done better to join us and get yourshare."

  Though I still felt pretty dizzy and weak I started out to look abouttown. I found that the inside door of the bank safe was still tightshut, though the outer one was blown off. The building was wrecked andthe drug store was not in much better shape. I could see that the bankhad been afire, but that Joe had put it out with water from the well.

  Outside the barn I found Dick and Ned and the pony the Indian hadtaken, with three of the gang's horses which had been left behind,huddled together trying to keep out of the snow, which was stillcoming down at a great rate and was being swirled about by the wind. Ilet them in, and they were all very glad to get some feed, as werelikewise the cow and chickens. I found that the Indian had pried openthe back door with a crowbar from among the blacksmith's tools.

  Night was already coming on and I was so tired and sleepy that I couldscarce keep up. So I made Pike as comfortable as I could, and went tobed and slept like a log.

  The first thing I knew in the morning was that the storm had turnedinto a raging blizzard. It was not yet very cold, but the snow wasdrifting as fast as it had any time during the winter. I found Pikemore comfortable. I had hoped for the train, but the storm discouragedme. I began to wonder what I was going to do with him. That his legwas broken was certain, and I almost wished that I had let him go withthe others.

  It was Sunday, and the first thing I did after breakfast was to writemy regular letter to my mother, telling her all that had happened thepast week; and it was a good deal. Then I started out to take anotherlook around town. My sleep had done me a world of good, though Istill felt stiff and lame.

  It was impossible to do much in the storm, but I covered up the banksafe with some blankets, and nailed boards over some windows in otherbuildings which had been broken by the explosion. I finally turned upat the depot and went in to see about the fire.

  As I opened the door I was astonished to hear the telegraph instrumentclicking. I knew the line was down and could not make out what itmeant. I understood no more about telegraphing than Kaiser, but invisiting Tom Carr during the fall I had learned to know the call forTrack's End, which always sounded to me like clicket-ty-click-click,clicket-ty, over and over again till Tom opened the switch andanswered. Well, as I stood listening I heard this call for Track'sEnd, clicket-ty-click-click, clicket-ty. Then I saw that the line musthave been repaired; but if this were so a train must have come nearlythrough; otherwise the repairmen could not have reached the break,which, I remembered, Tom said was just beyond Siding No. 15, fourteenmiles east of Track's End.

  I went to the table and sat down and listened to the steady clicking,the same thing, nothing but the call. It gave me a good feeling evenif I didn't know where it came from. I could not understand why anyother office should be calling Track's End, as they must all know thestation was closed for the winter. Then it came to me that a trainmust be on the way, and somebody thought it had got here.

  Just to see if I could, I reached over, opened the switch and triedgiving the Track's End call myself. Of course I did it very slowly,with a long pause between each click; but I thought I would show thefellow at the other end that Track's End wasn't quite dead after all.Then I closed the switch, and instantly was surprised to hear the callrepeated, but just as slowly and in the same way that I had given it.It came this way two or three times, then I gave it as best I could,then it came the same way once more.

  After this there was a long pause, and then it began to clicksomething else, very slowly, dot, dash,
dash, dot, and so forth, witha long stop between each. I picked up a pencil and marked it down,slowly, just as it came. Every two or three clicks there was a verylong pause, and I would put down a monstrous big mark, thinking itmight be the end of a letter; and when it stopped this is what I had,just as I wrote it down (I have the paper to this day), though itmight as well have been Greek for all I knew of its meaning:

  [Transcriber's Note: an image of a series of handwritten dots, dashes,vertical marks, and other marks appears here in the text.]

  After a minute or two it began again, but I soon saw that I wasgetting the same thing. I leaned back in the chair and wished that Icould read it. Then I sat up with sudden new interest, wondering if Icould not find a copy of the Morse code somewhere and translate themessage. It didn't seem likely that Tom would have one, as he was anold operator; but I began rummaging among his books and papers justthe same. I had not gone far when I turned up an envelope directed tohim on which was some printing saying that it contained a pamphletabout books for telegraphers. I opened it, and on the first page, as asort of trade-mark, was what I wanted. In ten minutes I had my messagetranslated. It read: "Starving. Siding fifteen. Carr."

  CHAPTER XXII

  The last Chapter, but a good Deal in it: a free Lodging for the Night,with a little Speech by Mr. Clerkinwell: then, how Kaiser and I take along Journey, and how we never go that Way again.

  When I knew what the message said I saw that a train must have got toNo. 15, and I jumped up and started for the door; then I ran backagain and slowly spelled out O. K. on the instrument, and withoutwaiting to see what came in reply hurried over to the hotel as fast asI could go.

  It was now eleven o'clock, and though the storm was as furious as everI was determined to set out and try to reach the siding. If it hadbeen before the thaw, with all of the winter snow on the ground, Inever should have thought of doing it, but most of the old drifts wereeither gone or frozen so hard that they could be walked over withoutthe least fear of breaking down; and as for the new drifts they weresoft and not yet deep. I first thought of taking the horses and largesleigh and of keeping on the railroad track, but I remembered thatthere were a good many culverts and little bridges which I could notcross that way, and I knew to leave the track would mean to be lostinstantly. So I saw that the best I could do was to take Kaiser andthe small sled.

  I soon had this loaded with all the provisions that I thought we couldget through with, though the selection was poor enough. But I got alot of coffee from the store, with bacon and canned Boston baked beansand other such things. There was a little of the buffalo meat left,and as I had kept it buried in the snow during the thaw it was stillas good as ever. This, with what eggs and other things in the hotelwhich I had, I put on, covered it all snugly with a blanket, tied theload firmly and was ready. I told Pike where I was going, though thenext moment I saw from the look on his face that I should not havedone so. Still, I could not see what harm he could do with his bruisesand broken leg. I left food and water where he could reach them, andstarted out, walking beside Kaiser and helping him drag the load.

  It was just noon when I got off. We went to the station and starteddown the track. It was impossible to see more than a few rods, but thewind, which all along had been in the northeast, had now shifted tothe northwest, so it was partly in my back. It was both snowing andblowing, and we waded through the damp, heavy, new snow, and slippedand stumbled over the old drifts. I soon saw that there was a big jobbefore us; and I had not expected any pleasure excursion.

  The first accident was when I fell through between the ties over aculvert up to my chin. It was too high to get back that way, so I wenton down and floundered out at the end and so fought my way back up. Wesoon got used to these, and generally I told where they were by thelay of the land, and either we went round them or walked carefullyover on the ties. But before I had gone three miles I saw that my onlyhope of reaching the siding that night was in the wind going down; butit was all the time coming up.

  But we plodded on, in some places making pretty good time; but on theother hand we often had to stop to rest. Kaiser seemed not the leastdiscouraged, and when we stopped even tried to wag his tail, but itwas too bushy a tail to wag well in such a wind. After a while theblizzard became so blinding and the track so deep with snow that wehad to leave it and follow the telegraph poles on the edge of theright of way, stopping and clinging to one pole till a little swirl inthe snow gave me a glimpse of the next one; then we would plunge aheadfor it, and by not once stopping or thinking I would usually bump upagainst it all right; though when I had gone fifty steps if I did notfind it I would stop and stand still till a little lull made it so Icould see the pole, and then sometimes I would find that I had passedit a few feet to one side.

  At last (but too soon) I thought I noticed that the light wasbeginning to fail; and it was certainly all the time growing colder. Alittle farther on we came to a deep cut through a coteau. The cut wasso filled with new snow that we could not wade through, and the sideof the hill was covered with the old snow and so slippery that wecould not scramble over. The only thing to do was to go around it.This I thought we could do and not get lost by keeping close to itsfoot all the way around.

  We started and plowed on till I thought it time to see the telegraphpoles again. We went on, but I saw the hill was not leading us right,and turned a little the other way. Another coteau was in our path andI turned to avoid it. For another five minutes we went on. I turnedwhere I was sure the railroad must be, when suddenly it seemed as ifthe wind had changed and was coming out of the south. I knew itundoubtedly had not, but by this sign I understood that I was lost. Ifelt dazed and bewildered and was not sure if I were north or south ofthe track. But for another fifteen minutes we struggled on. I had lostall sense of direction. I stopped and tried to think. Every minute itwas growing colder; how long I stood there I don't know, but Iremember that I heard Kaiser whine, and started at it, and realizedthat I was growing sleepy. I knew what the sleepiness which comes onat such times means, and I turned around square to the wind andstarted on.

  A dozen steps away we came face to face with a big new snow-drift, itstop blown over like a great white hood. I guessed that there was anold bank under this one. I took a stake from the sled, dropped on myhands and knees and began to poke about for it. I soon found it, brokethrough the frozen crust with the stake and began pawing out a burrowwith my hands. I dug like a scared badger and in a few minutes had aplace big enough. I wriggled out, pushed Kaiser in, took the blanketfrom the sled, backed into my snow cave again and rolled up as best Icould in the blanket. In five minutes the mouth of the burrow wasdrifted over and we were in total darkness.

  I was not afraid to sleep now, as I knew, what with the snow, my bigcoat, and the blanket, not to mention Kaiser, I would be safe enoughfrom freezing; so that is what I did till morning, scarce waking once.When I did wake, though I knew no more than anything if it weremorning, I could no longer hear the wind roaring, so I burrowed out;which was no small job, either, since I had to dig through a wall ofsnow, packed solid as a cheese.

  But when Kaiser and I burst out, like whales, I guess, coming up tobreathe, we found it clear and calm, with the sun just peeping upabove a coteau and the frost dancing in the air. And we were not fiverods from the railroad, though in that blizzard we could no more seeit than we could Jericho. It took half an hour to dig out the sled andget started, with Kaiser barking, and his breath like a puff of alocomotive at every bark, it was so cold. I put on the skees now(which I had had tied on the sled) and off we went over the drifts,now packed hard, at a good rate.

  It was no more than ten o'clock when I saw a white cloud of smoke farahead and knew we were coming to the siding; and Kaiser saw it too, Ithink, and we both started to run and couldn't help it. And half amile farther we saw a man coming slowly; and who was it but dear oldTom Carr!

  I think I never was so glad to see anybody in my life. The poor fellowwas so weak that he could hardly stand, but he was m
aking a start forTrack's End.

  "Jud," he said, "we started out Wednesday, with a dozen passengers, asmany shovelers, and three days' food. We got to No. 15 Saturday. Thenthe storm came and the food was about all gone. Yesterday the stormkept up and the men could have done nothing even if they had had food.This morning they are at it, but they are so weak that they can't domuch, but with what you've got on your sled we'll get through."

  He went back with me, and there were Burrdock and Sours and Allenhamand some others, all shoveling at the cut with the men; and in the carwas Mr. Clerkinwell, now recovered from his sickness, but weak fromthe lack of food. I won't try to tell how glad they were to see me;but I was gladder to see them. I felt that I was out of the prison ofTrack's End at last; and so many times I had thought I never shouldget out alive!

  "And why didn't you die a thousand times from loneliness," cried Mr.Clerkinwell, after he had talked a few minutes, "if from no othercause?"

  "Oh," I answered, "I had some company, you know; then there werecallers, too, once in a while." Then I said to him that "I wrote everySunday to my mother," at the which he patted me on the head, just asif I weren't taller than he!

  The men all came in and we got up a sort of a meal; at least there wasplenty of coffee, bacon, and beans. Then they went at the shovelingagain, the engineer got up steam, and soon we left the short platformand little cube of a house at the siding behind. There was a snow-plowon the engine, and the men now worked with so much energy that webucked along through the cuts, and before sundown were at Track's End.So, on Monday, March 21st, the train which had gone away on Friday,December 17th, was back again, with a long whistle and a cheer fromevery man, and barks from Kaiser which lasted longer than all.

  I had told part of my story, and we all went over to the HeadquartersHouse, Allenham to arrest Pike. He was gone. The barn had been brokenopen that morning and one of his ponies taken out. How he ever did itwith his broken leg was more than any of us could tell, but he haddone it, and it seemed no use to try to follow him. I saw my mistakein telling him so much; but it was too late to remedy it.

  The next day another train came, bringing a whole crowd ofTrack's-Enders; and that night they held a little meeting at the hoteland were for giving me a reward for what I had done (which was no morethan I had been left to do); but I told them, No, that Mr. Sours hadpaid me my wages according to agreement and that I couldn't take anyreward; but when Mr. Clerkinwell got up and took off his watch andchain (gold they were, you may be sure) and said I must take thatwhether or no, so that when I "looked for the time o' day I wouldalways remember that a townful of people, and especially a certain oldgentleman, thanked me and did not forget what I had done"--when Mr.Clerkinwell did this, I say, and I guess there were tears in his eyes,what could I do but take it? and take it I did, and wear it to thisday.

  MR. CLERKINWELL GIVING ME HIS WATCH AND CHAIN]

  Mr. Clerkinwell told me afterward that there was a full $20,000 in thesafe.

  So that is all there is to tell of my strange winter at Track's End,so many years ago. Three days later the regular trains began to run,and the first one took all of my letters to my mother; and no morethan two days after she got them I was there myself, bringing onlyone important thing more than I had taken away (besides experience),and that was Kaiser. I had asked for him and got him; first I hadthought to take away Pawsy, too, but concluded to leave her with Mrs.Sours, where she could get on the door in case of trouble. And since,though I have done my share of wandering about the world (and perhapsa little more than my share), I have never again visited Track's End;nor do I think I want to go back where the wolves howled so manydismal nights, and where the other things were worse than the wolves.