There was no time to shout, nor opportunity to help himself. Bob had been struck by the train, the end beam of the leading car having caught him squarely across the hips. Bob landed some ten feet beyond the spot where Steve was lying. The latter, however, had been barely stunned. About the time Bob went soaring over his head, Rush scrambled to his feet and hands then got up limping a little.
But Steve was dazed. The glare of the intense light from the open furnace blinded his eyes so that he could not see a thing distinctly. He heard the shrill shriek of the shifting engine, then four quick, warning blasts. The Iron Boy ducked instinctively at the same time leaping to one side.
By this time objects began to grow out of the glare with more or less distinctness. Steve rubbed his eyes and blinked.
"I wonder what happened? I know—I got an awful rap from something."
His arms ached and his chest was so sore that the touch of his clothes gave him pain. About that time Rush discovered that raising his arms was attended with more or less pain also.
"Hello! Something is going on over there by the furnace. Now what in the world has happened? If Kalinski were anywhere about I should think he had been trying some of his tricks on me again."
Kalinski was not there, but three men who had climbed down from the brick and steel platform about the furnace came running around the lower end, heading for the spot where the Iron Boy was standing.
"Hi, whom are you looking for?" Steve called.
"Hello, who's that?" answered a voice.
"It's Rush. I'm all right. Something must have hit me and knocked me off the platform."