where he was or how to get back to his vessel waiting
alongside the wharf in Halifax.
It took some time to make his story understood, but when it became known to
the men about the depot they gave him a good breakfast, and determined to
get him "dead-headed" to the city, as the farmer felt sure he could easily
find the thieves and recover his money if he once got back to Halifax. He
had never seen a train of cars in his life, being too drunk the night
before to know how he was travelling; so when the train steamed into the
depot next morning, after announcing its approach by ear-splitting shrieks,
he dropped out of sight behind a pile of boxes, thinking that some wild
creature was let loose upon the streets. Before he could collect his
scattered senses he was seized by strong hands and stowed away in a corner
of a freight car, where, upon bags of potatoes, he was told to "sit down
and keep out of sight." For the first few miles he literally obeyed the
injunction, for he shook and trembled with fright, and with every shriek of
the engine he ducked his head, thinking his very life was in danger; but as
time went by and he still found himself whole and uninjured, he took
courage, and sat up and looked about him as well as the dim and close car
would permit. By and by the motion of the car caused the door to slide open
a few inches, for, fortunately or unfortunately, the door had been left
unlocked, so he crawled cautiously forward and peered through the opening,
wondering greatly at the frightful speed of the "animal" that was drawing
them along, but he concluded that it was "michty encouragin'," for at the
pace they were going he would soon be within reach of the rascals who had
emptied his pockets.
Not content to let well enough alone, he disregarded the injunction given
him to "stay there," and when the train stopped for a few minutes at
Shubenacadie, a station on the line, he stepped out on the platform to have
a look about him; but not being quick or daring enough to step back on the
moving train, he came very near losing his ride.
Fortunately, one of the train hands who had befriended him at first, saw
him as the train moved along, and pulled him aboard the second-class car as
it passed them.
Having previously been stowed away among the freight, he had no idea of the
accommodation for travellers behind him, and the sight of so many people,
sitting quietly on the seats, filled him with awe.
But the good-nature
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