“Grease,” he reported; “some one has been tampering with the rails. Spite work, too.”
There was fully an hour’s delay, but a liberal application of sand to the rails helped them out. Five miles later on the locomotive began to puff and jerk. With full steam on, the engine did only half duty.
“Water gauge all right,” said Ralph. “I don’t understand it.”
“I do,” said Griscom, “and I can tell it in two words—Jim Evans.”
“Why, what do you mean, Mr. Griscom?”
“He didn’t come into the cab for nothing. Yes, we are victims of the old trick—soap in the water and the valves are clogged.”
“What are we going to do about it?” inquired Ralph anxiously. 30
“Pump out the water at the next tank and take a new supply on.”
There was a further delay of nearly two hours. Once more they started up. Ten miles from Dover, a few seconds after Ralph had thrown in coal, a terrible explosion threw the fire cover open and singed and burned both engineer and fireman.
Griscom looked angry, for the fire now needed mending.