ing of sickening horror. The boy was so
small, so stupidly audacious. Olive's, "Come back, come back!" was lost
in the noise of the train, but Carlos would not have heeded her. What
Indian chief has ever obeyed a woman? There seemed to be but one fate
for him,--he would be crushed to death in an instant.

The engineer saw the boy running toward his train, and the fire which
Olive and Carlos had built near the track. He had but one thought: there
must be danger somewhere ahead of them and these children had come to
warn him.

Fortunately for Carlos, the train which he had chosen for Olive's escape
was not one of passenger coaches, but a freight train. The engine was
going at far less speed, and quickly slowed down and stopped.

"Come, come, Olive," the boy shouted triumphantly, this time waving his
burning stick like a conquering hero.

Olive ran toward the car, dazed, breathless, hardly knowing what had
taken place, nor what she was doing. The Indian boy's spirit had somehow
seized hold on the situation.

"What has happened, imp?" the engineer roared out of his car window. "Is
something wrong ahead on the track?"

Carlos danced up and down, as though he did not understand what the
engineer asked. He had only a dim idea of the man's meaning as he knew
so few English words. Olive was slipping by him and Carlos saw that she
meant to do what he had planned. The engineer was climbing out of his
cab, his back being turned, so that he did not see Olive swing herself
up into the next car. In an instant the girl had hidden herself in the
midst of great piles of boxes, unobserved by the other trainmen, who
were also interested in Carlos.

The engineer was determined to find out what the Indian lad had to tell
him. If the boy had fooled him and there was nothing for them to fear
ahead, he should get the punishment he deserved.

Carlos guessed the engineer's meaning from the expression of his face.
The boy made a dart that was almost as swift as the first plunge of an
arrow from a bow. He was a small brown spot some distance off, when the
engineer made up his mind to run after him. The man did run for a few
rods, but the idea of catching the boy was ridiculous. He was like a
breath of wind, blowing this way and that across the prairie. He could
lead the engineer off into the desert, so that he would not know how to
return, and the man realized this. He climbed slowly back into his
engine, determined to watch out himself fo