bankments and very sharp turns. Not a nice bit of road
for a fast run with a heavy train. Nearly all the distance is through
thick woods, so that the brave engineer's deeds were not seen by any one
save the few men who were on the train, and in the greatest peril.

The two engines and long line of cars crept slowly up the grade, and
without accident, till almost at the top. The forward engine reached the
top, and kept straight on; there was no need to stop; and when the train
fairly passed the summit, and began to descend the grade on the western
side of the hills, the pushing-engine merely stopped, and was left
behind. Just then something very singular happened. The engineer
reversed his engine, and started to run back to the cross-over switch
that was just below. He intended to take the down track, and return to
the station, seventeen miles below. The station-master was at the
switch, and had already opened it. Suddenly the fireman gave a cry, and
the engineer looked out his forward window to see what had happened. The
train was still in sight up the line, but it was moving down instead of
up. It had broken apart. A coupling had given way, and some of the cars
were rolling down the grade right on to his engine. He could see the men
on top waving their hands for him to get out of the way. The
freight-cars had broken loose, and were running away. The men on top
could not stop them.

Where would it end? Where would the cars go? Would they ever reach the
bottom of the long grade without jumping the rails at some sharp curve,
only to plunge into the woods down some lofty embankment? No time to
think about that. The thing to do was to get out of the way, and prevent
the runaway train from dashing into the engine. He whistled to the
station-master to close the switch, and give him the clear line. He must
run away from the runaway train. He put on steam, and started down the
grade. The station-master seemed to understand what had happened, and
promptly closed the switch. Faster and faster rolled the cars, and the
engine shot ahead to keep out of the way.

Now for a race for life and death. If he kept ahead, he was safe--safe
from collision, but not from running off the line at the terrible curves
below. On and on the engine flew, down and down through the woods, till
the trees seemed to whirl past in a dizzy dance. Faster and faster came
the train gaining speed at every rail. How the woods roared with the
rush of the runawa