eping some of
the tools from going overboard, holding Ches in his arms.

"Curse it all, Billy!" he screamed to the driver, "miss _some_ of them
bumps, will you? I've got on a new pair of pants."

"I'll take 'em clean off you the next time, Cap!" retorted the driver.

They joked, which may seem heartless; but they risked their necks a
hundred times, and that isn't very heartless.

"That's the place, I reckon, Cap!" said the driver, pointing. "Somebody
working there now!"

"Give 'em a hoot!" replied the captain.

Bud stepped out and held up his hand in answer to the yell. The wave of
thanksgiving at the sight of this most efficient help took all the
stiffness out of the knees of the mail-rider. The tears rolled down his
face unnoticed.

"You're welcome, boys," he cried, as the driver sawed the frenzied team
to a standstill and the men sprang out.

"Reckon we are," said the captain. "Now what's up?"

"Is the boy hurt? Good God! He ain't hurt himself, has he?"

"Naw; pore little cuss is used up, that's all. He'll be around all right
in a minute. Now tell me, what's loose."

Bud answered briefly, but completely.

"Pete and Billy, get to cutting wood--the rest of you come here,"
commanded the captain.

"You ain't going to stop to timber, are you?" asked Bud in an agony of
haste.

"I sure am," replied the captain. "All this trouble's come of
carelessness. Now you just keep your clothes on, and let me run this
thing.

"We'll have your friend out in no time, and there won't be no more men
stuck in there with a hill a-top of 'em in the doing of it. What you've
done there is a help all right, but it might easy have meant that we'd
had two men instead of one to hunt for."

"You're dead right," said Bud. "Tell me what I'm to do."

The captain took hold as only a man can who has the genius for it. He
knew by long practice what size of a relief tunnel meant real speed of
progress--the least dirt to be removed to make it possible that men could
work to advantage. And his tunnel, safely rough-ceiled, went in at the
rate of a foot a minute.

When at last they pulled the insensible man out into the light of day,
and found that while his wound, though severe, and if neglected mortal,
was not likely to be dangerous with good attention, the captain said that
he must be getting about his business.

"Oh, stay a little longer, fellers, till he comes to," remonstrated Bud.
"He'd like to have a chance to say 'Thank you.'"