f his
spirits as he saw the danger past. "Old Bones will never send you
there."

The problem of the "Mary Louisa" was still unsettled. She was tearing
away like a Flying Dutchman. She was oozing steam at every pore, and,
glancing back, Bones saw the agitated countenance of the aged guard
thrust through the window. He waved frantically at Bones, and Bones
waved genially back again.

He was turning back to make another attempt on the lever, when, looking
past the guard, he saw a sight which brought his heart into his mouth.
Pounding along behind him, and emitting feathers of steam from her
whistle, was an enormous locomotive. Bones guessed there was a train
behind it, but the line was too straight for him to see.

"Gracious heavens!" he gasped. "We're being chased!"

He jerked at the lever--though it was a moment when he should have left
it severely alone--and to his ill-founded joy it moved.

The two trains came to a standstill together ten miles from Bayham
Junction, and Bones climbed down into the six-foot way and walked back.

Almost the first person he met was a gesticulating gentleman in a frock
coat and with a red face, who, mistaking him for an engine-driver,
dismissed him on the spot, threatened him with imprisonment--with or
without hard labour he did not specify--and demanded what the dickens
he meant by holding up a Cabinet Minister?

"Why," chortled Bones, "isn't it my dear friend, Mr. Chenney?"

"Who are you," snarled Mr. Chenney, "and what do you mean by calling me
your dear friend? By Heavens, I'll have you kicked out of this
service!"

"Don't you know old Tibbetts?" cooed Bones. "Well, well, fancy meeting
you!"

He held out a grimy hand, which was not taken.

"Tibbetts!" growled the gentleman. "Oh, you are the foo--the gentleman
who bought the Lynhaven line, didn't you?"

"Certainly," said Bones.

"But what is your train doing here?" asked Mr. Chenney violently.
"Don't you realise you are holding up a special? Great Heavens, man,
this is very serious! You are holding up the business of the country!"

The engine-driver of the special came to the rescue.

"There's a switch-over about half a mile further on," he said.
"There's not a down train due for an hour. I'll unlock the switch and
put you on to the other line, and, after we have passed, you can come
on."

"But I don't want to come on, dear old thing," said Bones. "I want to
go back."

"Well, that's simple," said the