“Now pull yourself together for an extra spurt when I give the word,” shouted the foreman, who manned the forward handles, and faced the rear, “then turn about and get ready to jump.”
Roaring, screaming, clanking, the runaways thundered down upon them.
“Hit it up!” cried the section-man. With every muscle tense they whirled the handles up and down like human engines.
“Let go! Turn about!”
Alex sprang back from the flying handles, and faced about. The foreman edged by them, and joined him.
Nearer, towering over them, rushed the leading ore car.
“Be sure and jump high and grab hard,” shouted the foreman.
“Ready! Jump!”
With a bound they went into the air, and the great car flung itself at them. Both reached the top of the end-board with their outstretched hands, and gripped tenaciously. As they swung against it, it seemed the car would shake them off. But clinging desperately, they got their feet on the brake-beam, and in another moment had tumbled headlong within.
Alex sank down on the rough ore in a heap, gasping. The seasoned section-man, however, was on his feet and at the nearby hand-brake in a twinkle. Tightening it, he scrambled back over the bounding car to the next.