ncrease the speed,
but it was open to the utmost. He attempted to heap coals on the fire,
but being inexpert, failed to increase the heat. Another second and
they were abreast John Marrot opened the whistle and let it blow
continuously, for he was by that time drawing fearfully near to the
train that he knew was approaching.

Seeing that escape was impossible, Thomson would have thrown the engine
off the rails if that had been possible, but, as it was not, he
brandished the fire-shovel and stood at the opening between the engine
and tender, with an expression of fiendish rage on his countenance that
words cannot describe.

"Now, Bill, look out!" said John.

Will stood like a tiger ready to spring. John beside him, with a huge
mass of coal in one hand concealed behind his back. There was a space
of little more than two feet between the engines. To leap that in the
face of a madman seemed impossible.

Suddenly John Marrot hurled the mass of coal with all his might. His
aim was to hit Thomson on the head, but it struck low, hitting him on
the chest, and driving him down on the foot-plate. At the same instant
Will Garvie bounded across and shut off the steam in an instant. He
turned then to the brake-wheel, but, before he could apply it, Thomson
had risen and grappled with him. Still, as the two strong men swayed to
and fro in a deadly conflict, Will's hand, that chanced at the moment to
be nearest the brake-wheel, was seen ever and anon to give it a slight
turn.

Thus much John Marrot observed when he saw a puff of white steam on the
horizon far ahead of him. To reverse the engine and turn full steam on
was the work of two seconds. Fire flew in showers from the wheels, and
the engine trembled with the violent friction, nevertheless it still ran
on for a considerable way, and the approaching train was within a
comparatively short distance of him before he had got the _Lightning_ to
run backwards. It was not until he had got up speed to nigh forty miles
an hour that he felt safe, looked back with a grim smile and breathed
freely. Of course the driver of the passenger-train, seeing an engine
on the wrong line ahead, had also reversed at full speed and thus
prevented a collision, which would inevitably have been very disastrous.

John now ran back to the crossing, and, getting once more on the down
line, again reversed his engine and ran cautiously back in the direction
of the run-away locomotive. He soon