Page:Harvey O'Higgins--Silent Sam and other stories.djvu/338

326 simply waited for us. The fact that Ellsworth tried to draw us out showed me that he had n't time to wait and listen to what was going on over the wire. Our troops were pressing Morgan, and Ellsworth was probably on ahead, with the scouting, trying to find the clearest way through to the river. We had either to make a dash for Hamilton or turn back. My orders were to take the train to Hamilton."

"Why did n't you tell the officer?" Price put in, with a professional jealousy.

"It was none of his business. I was in charge of that train."

The lieutenant had nothing more to say.

"After we left Carthage we could see red in the sky, over to the left, where Morgan was burning anything he could set a match to as he went along. It began to look pretty warm ahead. We could n't make speed for fear they 'd torn up the tracks. We had to feel our way. Ever do that in a dark room?—where you knew you 'd heard a burglar?—and did n't know whether he was waiting for you with a blackjack or making off down the stairs? Try it on a cold night when you feel chilly about the knees.

"The officer kept complaining that it should 've been cavalry and not artillery on the job. So it should—but that did n't help any. I began to feel a tremble in the pit of my stomach, leaning out of the cab window; and I could see that the engineer was hanging back by the door so as to be ready to jump if we struck a snag. And then, as we swung past Ellison's Crossing,