ain
on time, as if, in dispatching it through, he had given it a friendly
push on its swift and mighty mission. Was she steaming badly? There had
been no sign of it as she passed. Perhaps something had gone wrong with
the brakes. Or could the track have--

The agent tilted sharply forward, his lithe frame tense. A long drawn,
quivering shriek came down-wind to him. It was repeated. Then short and
sharp, piercing note on piercing note, sounded the shrill, clamant
voice.

The great engine of Number Three was yelling for help.

CHAPTER II

Banneker came out of his chair with a spring.

"Help! Help! Help! Help! Help!" screamed the strident voice.

It was like an animal in pain and panic.

For a brief instant the station-agent halted at the door to assure
himself that the call was stationary. It was. Also it was slightly
muffled. That meant that the train was still in the cut. As he ran to
the key and sent in the signal for Stanwood, Banneker reflected what
this might mean. Crippled? Likely enough. Ditched? He guessed not. A
ditched locomotive is usually voiceless if not driverless as well.
Blocked by a slide? Rock Cut had a bad repute for that kind of accident.
But the quality of the call predicated more of a catastrophe than a mere
blockade. Besides, in that case why could not the train back down--

The answering signal from the dispatcher at Stanwood interrupted his
conjectures.

"Number Three in trouble in the Cut," ticked Banneker fluently. "Think
help probably needed from you. Shall I go out?"

"O. K.," came the answer. "Take charge. Bad track reported three miles
east may delay arrival."

Banneker dropped and locked the windows, set his signal for "track
blocked" and ran to the portable house. Inside he stood, considering.
With swift precision he took from one of the home-carpentered shelves a
compact emergency kit, 17 S 4230, "hefted" it, and adjusted it, knapsack
fashion, to his back; then from a small cabinet drew a flask, which he
disposed in his hip-pocket. Another part of the same cabinet provided a
first-aid outfit, 3 R 0114. Thus equipped he was just closing the door
after him when another thought struck him and he returned to slip a coil
of light, strong sash-cord, 36 J 9078, over his shoulders to his waist
where he deftly tautened it. He had seen railroad wrecks before. For a
moment he considered leaving his coat, for he had upwards of three miles
to go in the increasing heat; but, refl