The accident had occurred while the train was passing through a farming section, and soon the countrymen, for miles around, flocked to the scene, coming in wagons and on foot. They offered to care for any who did not want to continue their journey, and some women, whose nerves were shattered, took advantage of the kind offers.
Not so the little old lady on whom Andy had been playing the innocent trick when the smash came. She was as calm and collected as she had been at first. And the man whose wig had come off had somewhat regained his composure.
"I should think you could get a relief train here before this!" the man snapped to the conductor.
"It's coming—it's coming," said that much-harassed official. "They're coming as fast as they can get here."
"Well, I'm going to sue your road for damages, whether I'm hurt or not," the man went on. "I'll be delayed, anyhow, and I'm going to have satisfaction."
"I hope you get it," murmured the conductor, as he hurried off to see that the others of the train crew were getting the baggage and other stuff out of the way of the advancing flames.
The three boys walked about, lending a hand whenever they could, and talking about the accident. They had a glimpse of the locomotive, almost turned over, where it had crashed into the cars, and had reared up.
"That's what made the boiler explode," was Frank's opinion. "The water level was changed, and some part of the boiler had none in. The fire kept getting hotter and hotter and the steam got to such a pressure that it blew the steel apart."
"If it had happened a minute later we'd have been in it," said Andy. "I wonder what Shackmiller was doing so near the engine—that is, if it was he?"
"Oh, it was he, all right," was Billy's comment. "I'm sure I wasn't mistaken, even though he had shaved off his black beard. He was following me. Probably he was in some other car all the while, and when the crash came, fearing I might see him, he ran up ahead to hide. Then he got near the boiler just as the explosion came. Well, I don't wish him any bad luck, but I hope this ends his following me."