he back of the terrified man. An instant later the
engine passed over them....

Underneath the moving mass Jim's fourteen stone of human tissue was
pressed close to the form beneath him. He was scarcely conscious of taking
the leap. His brain had yelled one distinct order to his active limbs:
"Keep him down flat!" He had obeyed that subconsciously. For a second or
so it was pure oblivion, and then he realized what had happened. If there
should not be enough clearance?... Any considerable projection would
mean....

But something happened which drove the specter of fear away. There came a
sharp pain in his back. It grew to intense torture. A small, red-hot
cinder from the engine was eating into his flesh. He wanted to raise his
head, to put out his arm and remove this merciless thing. But Will
prevailed. The pain grew less. The roar ceased. He realized that the train
had stopped. He could hear the excited murmur of voices. Everyone seemed
to be talking at once.

"There's another there--that big man. I tell you...."

"Mary, come away...."

"It went right over him. Oh, poor fellow!..."

"The big man was holding him down. They're safe, I tell you."

A quavering male voice--that of the guard--came down through the space
between the platform and the footboard of the train.

"Hel-lo, down there!"

"Yank your darned train out. There's a cinder half-way through my back,"
growled Jim.

Shouts were heard and the train began to move. It seemed an eternity
before the last coach passed over them. By that time the cinder had grown
cold. Jim kneeled up and gasped. He caught the other man in his arms and
climbed on to the platform. The crowd rushed forward to shake him by the
hand. He could have kissed any woman there without asking, but it never
occurred to him. His one idea was to get away from this hand-shaking
crowd. He made for the waiting-room, still carrying his man.

"For Gawd's sake keep that crush out," he begged of the station-master.
The latter carried out this difficult task with ultimate success. When he
came back the immaculate one had recovered his senses. He was still
suffering from shock, but he found enough strength to wedge a monocle into
his eye and to survey Jim, wonderingly.

"Great Scott--what a feat!" he exclaimed.

Jim was rubbing his injured back.

"My deah fellah, it was positively superhuman! You saved my life--what!"

"Oh, that's all right."

"Bai Jove, I should think so! It was positivel