A quarter of an hour later Johnny was just dropping off into a doze, when Pant gripped his arm and whispered:
“C’mon. Let’s go!”
Having climbed over two gondolas and the top of a one-time express car, they dropped cat-like from the roof of the express car to the platform of a second express car.
Here they stood silent, listening for fully two minutes. At first everything appeared dark, but presently Johnny caught a faint gleam of light that apparently came through a crack in a lower panel of the express car door.
“What’ll we do if they come out at us. It’s a rotten place,” he whispered. Just then the car gave a lurch which almost threw him from the narrow platform.
“Duck and jump.”
“Mighty risky.”
“Only chance. Too many of ’em. Probably guns and everything.”
“All right. Get busy.”
Pant dropped on his knee and, bracing himself to avoid being thrown against the door by a sudden lurch, peered through the crack.