One night within a hundred miles of Chicago they suddenly felt the flying train slow down, and then with a couple of heavy jolts come to a standstill. C. B. was with the captain at the time rendering him some personal service, and at the shock they both looked inquiringly around and at one another.
“There’s something wrong,” said the captain. “I wonder what has happened?” He had hardly uttered the words when through the unnatural silence there came a faint shriek, and C. B., with one glance at his friend, rushed out into the body of the car and main saloon.
There were Mr. and Miss Stewart seated in two armchairs with a truculent looking man clad in the picturesque garb of the cowboy standing before them holding a heavy revolver pointed at them, while both man and woman held their hands high above their heads. At the sound of C. B.’s footsteps the intruder wheeled and shouted, “Stop right there,” but he spoke to the wrong individual. Without an instant’s hesitation C. B. sprang at him, there was a flash, a stunning report, and a crash of glass, and there upon the floor lay the intruder with C. B. on top of him easily tearing the revolver from him with one hand, while with the other clutching his throat. At the same moment Miss Stewart and her father disappeared. But they returned almost instantly, each armed with a revolver, and Mr. Stewart bringing in addition a length of gay cord torn from the heavy curtain before his sleeping-place. With this C. B. bound the hands of the villainous-looking fellow he had captured so securely that he could not move them and looked around for another piece for the feet.
But Mr. Stewart said sternly, “Never mind that. Mary, watch him, and if he moves, shoot him. Come, Mr. Christmas, we’ll get the others.” And at the word C. B. followed where Mr. Stewart led, finding in Miss Stewart’s apartment two more men, who caught unawares submitted to be bound as the first one had been, under cover of Mr. Stewart’s revolver.
“Now,” said Mr. Stewart, “we must look out for the rest of the gang, who are probably walking up and down outside. But first, out lights,” and touching a switch the whole car was immediately in darkness. But as soon as they stepped out upon the observation platform they heard a couple of shots. Mr. Stewart, fully cognizant of all these Western tactics, carefully marked the direction of the flashes and fired there twice, sinking down at once and dragging C. B. with him.
After waiting about a minute and hearing a low groan from the darkness, he said—
“I don’t think there’s any more of ’em about, and we must go and see to the engineer and his fireman,” finding them both cruelly tied up. They released them, and Mr. Stewart curtly ordered them to put on all the speed they could for Chicago, where explanations might be made in quiet. Then turning to the car they hunted up the attendants, who they found had all been treated similarly to the engineer. They released them, and putting the captives in charge of the conductor in the baggage car they returned to their quarters, finding Miss Stewart still in charge of the scoundrel they had forgotten.
She was soon relieved of her watch and then, with a heightened colour, turned to C. B. and said—