Suddenly he felt an impact that fairly shook him in his berth. The emergency brake most likely, and in the next moment he knew he reasoned about right as the whole car seemed to throb and tremble before coming to a dead stop.
“Gee,” he whispered softly to himself, lying with eyes wide and ears straining for some sound, “every one else but me must be unconscious if that didn’t wake them.”
Evidently no one had heard anything, nor were they aware of the stationary attitude of the train. The heavy breathing and loud snores continued uninterrupted as before.
Of course, it wasn’t such an unusual thing for a fast train to stop suddenly out on the plains at night, nor anywhere else for that matter. But, he reasoned, it was unusual for the emergency brake to be applied as it was and then stand as they did without even a whistle or warning of any kind.
Save for the patter of the falling rain there was a dead silence; not a human sound outside and yet that very silence was pregnant with danger.
Westy got up and dressed.
CHAPTER IV—A HERO BY CHANCE
It didn’t take Westy half a minute to dress on that occasion, but it took him longer than that to rouse Rip, tug as he did at his bed clothes.
“Whassa matter, anyway?” His voice sounded startled.
“Shush!” warned Westy. “Get into your clothes quick as you can, ’n’ don’t make any noise.”