water, and in a
moment the cab was in a white cloud. Mechanically, Hogan slammed his
throttle shut, and snatched at the "air." It was the water glass--and
the water glass sometimes is a nasty matter. Coussirat was on his feet
now like a flash, and both men, clamped-jawed, groped for the cock; and
neither got off scathless before they shut it--and by then the train
had stopped, and not a monkey was in sight.

Jimmie Burke, the conductor, came running up from the rear end, as
Coussirat and Hogan swung out of the gangway to the ground.

"What's wrong?" demanded Burke--he had his watch in his hand.

"Monkeys," said Hogan, and he clipped the word off without any undue
cordiality.

"How?" inquired Burke.

"Monkeys," said Hogan--a little more brittle than before.

"Monkeys?" repeated Burke politely.

"Yes, monkeys!" roared Hogan, dancing up and down with the pain of his
scalded hands. "Monkeys--that's plain enough, ain't it? Monkeys,
blast you!--MONKEYS!"

To the group came one of the circus men.

"The door of the monkey car is open!" he announced breathlessly. "The
monkeys have escaped."

"You don't say!" said Coussirat heavily.

"Yes," said the circus man. "And, look here, we'll have to find them;
they couldn't have got away from the train until it stopped just now."

"Are they intelligent," inquired Coussirat in a velvet voice, "same as
the billboards say?"

"Of course," said the circus man anxiously.

"Well, then, just write them a letter and let them know when to be on
hand for the next performance," said Coussirat grimly. "There's lots
of time--we can hang around here and stall the line for another hour or
two, anyway!"

Burke and Hogan were in earnest consultation.

"We're close on the Limited's time as it is," said Hogan. "And look at
that cab."

"We'd better back up to the Forks, then, and let her cross us there,
that's the safest thing to do," said Burke--and swung his lamp.

"Look here," said the circus man, "we've got to find those monkeys."

Burke looked at him unhappily--monkeys had thrown their meeting point
out--and there was the trainmaster to talk to when they got back to Big
Cloud.

"Unless you want to spend the night here you'd better climb aboard," he
snapped. "All right, Hogan--back away!" And he swung his lamp again.

Ten minutes later, as the Circus Special took the Angel Forks siding
and the front-end brakeman was throwing the switch clear again for the
main line