u expect
'em."

"Knowin' you was so anxious to see 'em, they've come up the road to meet
you," interjected Shorty.

"It looks," continued Si, "as if they'd got news of the train and
slipped out here to take it away from us. They may attack it at any
minute after we start agin. Now, we mustn't let 'em git it. It's too
valuable to the Government to lose and too valuable to them to git. We
mustn't let 'em have it, I tell you. Now, I want you to load your guns
carefully, handle 'em very carefully after they are loaded, git back in
the cars, stop skylarkin', keep very quiet, listen for orders, and when
you git 'em, obey 'em to the letter--no more, no less."

[Illustration: WATCHING THE BRIDGE BURNERS AT WORK 259]

"Can't we go back on top o' the cars, where we kin watch for 'em, and
git the first pop at 'em?" said Harry Joslyn, in a pleading tone.

"No; that's too dangerous, and you'll lose time in gittin' together,"
answered Si. "You must all come into the cars with me."

"Sergeant," said Shorty, "let me have a couple to go on the engine with
me."

"Le' me go. Le' me go," they all seemed to shout at once, holding up
their hands in eager school-boy fashion.

"I can't take but two o' you," said Shorty; "more'd be in the way."

They all pressed forward. "Count out. That's the only fair way," shouted
the boys in the center.

"That's so," said Harry Joslyn. "Stand still till I count. Imry,
Ory, Ickery, Ann, Quevy, Quavy, Irish Navy, Filleson, Folleson,
Nicholas--Buck! That's me. I'm it!"

He rapidly repeated the magic formula, and pronounced Gid Mackall "it."

"He didn't count fair! He didn't count fair! He never counts fair,"
protested the others; but Si hustled them into the cars and the train
started.

It had grown quite dark. The boys sat silent and anxiously expectant
on their seats, clutching their loaded guns, held stiffly upright, and
watching Si's face as well as they could by the dim light of the single
oil lamp. Si leaned against the side of the door and watched intently.

Only little Pete Skidmore was unrepressed by the gravity of the
situation. Rather, it seemed to spur his feet, his hands and his mouth
to nimbler activity. He was everywhere--at one moment by Si's side in
the door of the car, at the next climbing up to peer out of the window;
and then clambering to the top of the car, seeing legions of guerrillas
in the bushes, until sternly ordered back by Si. Then he would drop the
butt of his mu