s it worse, not being able to see where you are at all. Listen, do
you hear a train?"

"Nope," he said, all the while listening; "I guess it's just because
you're scared."

"Anyway, there's no use wasting time," I told him; "let's wake up the
fellows."

That was some job. We had to roll Pee-wee off the seat onto the floor
and then roll him out into the aisle. I guess they didn't know what we
were talking about first, but when they knew about it, they sat up all
right. We just sat there talking in the pitch dark.

"What good is the flashlight?" Connie asked us. "It won't show far
enough and the battery won't hold out for more than about a half an
hour. I hear a train now."

No one said a word; just listened. "I heard that," Westy said; "it isn't
a train."

"One is likely to crash into us any minute," Wig said; "I'd rather jump
and be done with it--the suspense."

"Do you call that using your brains?" Pee-wee shouted. Gee whiz, when
you come right down to it, I have to admit that kid is a bully little
scout.

"You couldn't walk the ties even if we could," Wig said; "you can't take
a long enough step."

"Well, then, _you_ walk them and I'll stay here," the kid said.

I reached across in the dark and hit him a good rap on the shoulder.
"That shows there's one thing about scouting you don't know, Kiddo," I
told him. "A scout troop is just as strong as its weakest member, just
the same as a chain is as strong as its weakest link. We _will_ use our
brains, right up to the last minute. Don't get scared."

We all listened to a sound we heard far off.

"I'm not scared," Pee-wee said. And even in the dark I could see his
eyes looking straight at me and they looked awful brave and clear, kind
of.

"No use getting excited," Wig said. "Why couldn't we break up some wood
and start a fire a few feet away from the car?"

"Listen!" Connie said; "shh----"

"Maybe it would stop a train, but it would surely burn the bridge down,"
Westy said. "The ties are wooden. There's enough wood to curl the steel
all up into a mess of wreckage. And all that might happen before the
train came along."

"Could we walk the ties?" Wig asked. "Even if they're far apart we might
help Pee-wee----Listen!"

"Don't be all the time scaring me," I said, kind of mad, like. Because I
was getting good and scared, and rattled. "Let's see your light,
Connie."

I held the light to the time table. "There's no station anywhere around
here, I guess,