They stood in silence for a moment.
"If you had a rope, you could make the engine haul it," I suggested to the fireman, who was a young fellow.
"A good idea," he exclaimed, and reported it to his superior.
"First-class plan; but we haven't got the rope," said the engineer.
"Have you got an axe?"
"Yes."
"Then why not chop it off?"
"That's so! Larry, bring the axes."
"It won't do any good," said one of the brakemen who had just come up. "The bridge has shifted."
An examination proved his assertion to be correct. As soon as this became known, a danger light was hung at either end of the structure, and then we started running backward to Smalleyville.