From some mysterious place a barrel was passed along from hand to hand. It was set down before the young chief engineer, and ready hands hoisted him to the upturned end of the barrel.
“Speech!” roared a thousand voices.
Tom, grinning good-humoredly, then waved his arms as though to still the tumult of voices. Gradually the cheering died down, then ceased.
Bang! sounded further down the Street, and the flash of a rifle was seen.
Tom Reade, his speech unmade, fell from the barrel into the arms of those crowded about him.
CHAPTER XV. MR. DANES INTRODUCES HIMSELF
Daylight found Jim Duff and some of his cronies of the night before either absent from Paloma, or else securely hidden.
Fred Ransom, the Colthwaite Company's representative, had also vanished.
Proprietor Ashby, of the Mansion House, was reported to be skulking in his hotel, as he did not show his face on the streets.