“You did? That’s funny, we never seen him.”
The conductor came out and corroborated Hashknife. In a few minutes the conductor of the passenger came along. He was a fussy little fat man, very important. He wheezed his profanity.
“Can’t get across, eh? Gee! Wires down behind us. Nothing to do but wait. How did it happen you didn’t send out a flag? We might have rammed you.”
“Flag went out!” snapped the freight conductor.
“We didn’t see it,” said the brakeman. “I was in the cab.”
“Anyway, he went back,” declared the freight conductor. “It’s no fault of mine if you fellows can’t see.”
“Any chance of putting the fire out?” asked the passenger conductor.
“Not a chance. One whole span on fire and this wind is like a blow torch. Looks like a complete tie-up for this division. There’s a section crew at Pinnacle City, but this will be a job for bridge builders.”
Hashknife went back in the caboose where Sleepy was lying on a seat, still caressing a sore jaw.
“Stuck completely,” said Hashknife. “No dentist for you tonight, cowboy.”