CHAPTER III
THE HOLD-UP OF THE RED LIMITED
"Take it easy! Don't lose your heads. We are safe for the moment," urgeda voice that sounded like Sheriff Ford's. Whoever it was, his wordsbrought a measure of quiet to the excited passengers who were shiveringin the aisle in scant attire.
The passengers then sought their berths again and began dressing, forthere would be no more sleep for them that night. Outside of the carthere was not the slightest indication that anything out of the ordinarywas occurring. An ominous stillness enshrouded the scene. Some one, morecurious than the rest, stepped to the front platform of the sleeping carand, opening the vestibule door, looked out. The Overlanders learnedlater that it was Mr. Ford.
A rifle shot roared out, whereupon the sheriff prudently stepped backand closed the door. Several smothered screams were heard, and thensilence once more settled over the car.
Up to the present time not a word had been heard from the OverlandRiders. The curtains of their berths hung motionless, and Stacy Brown'ssnores were louder than ever. Perhaps they were all asleep, but how thatcould be possible in the circumstances it would be difficult tounderstand.
The voice of Sheriff Ford once more focused the attention of thepassengers on him.
"Men," he said, addressing the passengers from one end of the car, "thistrain is being held up, but it does not look as if the passengers willbe disturbed. If they are not, it means that the bandits are after theexpress car, in which, as I happen to know, there is a large amount ofgold for shipment to the Pacific Coast for export. I am an officer ofthe law. The fact that I am not in my own county is sufficient excusefor my sitting down and letting the bandits have their own way, but I'mnot that kind of a critter. I'm going out to take a hand in this affair,and I ask all the men in this car, who have weapons, to join me.Provided we get help from the other cars of the train, we can, perhaps,drive the robbers off. How many of you men are with me?"
Two passengers stepped out from their berths. The curtains of the berthsoccupied by Lieutenant Theophilus Wingate and Captain Tom Gray werethrust aside, the curtain hooks rattling on the rods overhead, and theywere revealed clad in shirts, trousers and boots, each with a revolverstrapped on, sitting quietly on the edge of his berth.
"Isn't there another _man_ in this car?" questioned Ford sarcastically.
At this juncture Grace Harlowe, Elfreda Briggs, Nora Wingate and EmmaDean stepped out into the aisle, each wearing a revolver at her side,and Emma very pale and shaking in the chill air.
"We are not men, but we are ready to do whatever you wish, Mr. Ford,"announced Grace.
Ford smiled and nodded.
"I thought so," he said. "This appears to be about all we can dependupon. As for you young women, my hat is off to you, but this is no jobfor women. It's a man's job. What you can do, however, is to mount guardover this car and protect the other women. Can you all shoot?"
Grace said they could.
"Very well. Guard the vestibules, but in no circumstances open thevestibule door. The other passengers will please remain in their berthsto avoid the possibility of being shot, and you young women will becareful that you do not shoot the train crew. Challenge first, thenshoot, if you are not positive as to who any person is. Have you menammunition?"
"Yes," answered Hippy. "Lead us to it. We haven't had any action in solong that we are going stale."
"We will go out by the rear door," announced the sheriff. "Please do notuse your weapons until you are ordered to do so. The most we can hope toaccomplish is to drive the bandits off--make them think they areattacked by a posse. There isn't much chance of our being able tocapture the gang or any of them, much as I should like to do so. Yet I'mgoing to try to get hold of at least one. All ready!"
"Be careful, Hippy darling," begged Nora as the little party movedtowards the rear of the car.
"You watch my smoke," chuckled Hippy.
"Good luck," smiled Grace, waving a kiss to Tom as he turned to nod inreturn for her parting words.
Ford stepped out into the rear vestibule and peered through the windowinto the darkness.
"I'll go first," he said. "You follow when I give the signal. Not a wordfrom any of you. Wait!" Lifting the trap-door in the vestibule floor,the sheriff let himself down on the steps, then cautiously stood up onthe outside, revolver in hand for use in case of trouble.
"Come out!" he commanded in a low voice. "There appears to be no onehere. There goes the express car!" he added as a slight jolt of thetrain was heard. "They've cut out that car and are going to pull it upthe track a piece and force it open. We'll have to hurry."
Ford started on a run, the others falling in behind him.
Up to this time no one had given Stacy Brown a thought, but as the partywas leaving the sleeper something awakened him. Then Stacy heard someonesay, "robbers!" The fat boy tumbled out into the aisle in his pajamas.
"Wha--what is it?" he demanded sleepily.
"The train is held up," answered Grace.
"Oh! Wow!"
"Yes, and Tom, Hippy and Mr. Ford, with two other passengers, have justgone out by the rear door to see what they can do to help us out,"announced Miss Briggs. "You are a fine brave fellow to sleep through allthis uproar."
"They have gone to capture the bandit outfit and get their heads shotoff for their pains," jeered the voice of a male passenger from theforward end of the car.
"You're a brave man, aren't you?" chided Emma, directing her remark atStacy.
The fat boy blinked sleepily, then all of a sudden he woke up to afuller realization of the situation. Emma's remark had passed unnoticed,but the taunt of the cowardly passenger had sent the blood pounding toStacy's temples. The boy snatched his revolver from his grip and buckledon the holster, starting for the rear door at a run.
"We can't all be heroes," he flung back at the passenger who had jeeredat the Overlanders. "Some of us are born cowards with a stripe of yellowa yard wide through us. Go to sleep, children! I'll bag the lot of 'emand fetch 'em back for you to look at."
Stacy fell through the opening in the platform, the trap-door stillbeing open. In the fall, he bumped all the way from the platform to theground, where he fetched up heavily in a sitting posture.
"Hey, you fellows! Where are you? Wait for me, I'm on the way," hebellowed. "I've got the medicine with me. Sing out where you are."
The fat boy started to run along the side of the train. He could not seehis companions, but he was positive that they could not be far inadvance of him.
"W-a-i-t!" he shouted.
"Who's that?" demanded Ford sharply.
"It sounds like Brown of our party," laughed Hippy.
"For goodness sake, go back and stop his noise or we'll have the robbersdown on us," urged Ford. "Run for it!"
Hippy started back at a brisk trot, on the alert for the presence ofbandit sentries. He nearly collided with Stacy, and, knowing that thefat boy was impulsive, Hippy feared that Stacy might take him for atrain robber and shoot, so he dropped down the instant he discovered hiscompanion.
"Stop that noise! Do you want to get hurt?" demanded Hippy sternly.
"'Course I don't. I want to hurt a robber. Where are they?"
"You will find out soon enough if you don't keep quiet."
"That's what I'm making a noise about. I want to call 'em out; thenyou'll see what Stacy Brown and his little gun can do."
"You are not to use your revolver until Mr. Ford gives you permission todo so. He is in command of our party. The bandits are supposed to besomewhere ahead of us. Come along, but don't you dare make a sound.Where have you been all the time?"
"Sleeping. Isn't that what folks buy sleeping car tickets for?"
"Hurry," urged Hippy, who ran on, followed by Stacy, stumbling andgrunting, making enough noise to be heard several car-lengths away. Thetwo came up with the others of their party at the front end of theforward car, where Ford had halted.
"Where
are they?" demanded Stacy. "I'm ready to capture the whole bunch.All I want now is to be shown. I'm a wild-cat for trouble when I getstirred up."
"Silence, young man! I'll do all the talking necessary. You will getyour wish for action soon enough, and I reckon you'll get some of thebrag taken out of you, too," retorted Ford sarcastically.
"Not if I see 'em first," gave back Stacy belligerently.
"What is the order, Mr. Ford?" questioned Tom Gray.
"We will go off to one side. It won't do to follow the railroad tracks.To do so would surely draw the fire of the bandits. There are several onguard not far from us," he added in a whisper, having been observingclosely as he talked. "I think I now know the lay of the land. Becareful, all of you. If you will look sharp you will see that thebandits have the treasure car near the mouth of the ravine that leads upinto the mountains."
"They've taken our stock car too," groaned Stacy.
"That's so. The ponies are gone, Ford," whispered Lieutenant Wingate.
"I reckon they count on making a get-away on your horses," answered thesheriff. "We'll be able to block that game, I hope. Come!"
After having walked some distance parallel with the tracks, thesheriff's party slowed down at a signal from their leader. Lanterns wereseen moving about beside the tracks a short distance ahead of thesheriff. The safety valve of the engine was blowing off steam, theblow-off growing to a deafening roar that died down only when the enginepulled away from the express, baggage and stock cars. The locomotivecame to a stop a short distance from the three cars, then the sound of aheavy object beating against the side door of one of the cars, washeard.
"They're trying to smash in the door of the express car," whisperedFord.
A volley of shots was fired at the car door by the bandits and waspromptly answered by shots from within the car. The men in the expresscar appeared to be vigorously resisting the attack. They were firing atthe band outside with such good effect that the robbers soon ceasedtheir attempts to beat in the door with the section of a telegraph polethat they were using for the purpose. A period of silence followed whilethe bandits were holding a hurried consultation; then followed amovement among them.
"Let me shoot! They're getting away, I tell you," urged Stacy excitedly.
"Not yet, young man. Those fellows are up to more mischief, and I thinkI know what it is," answered Ford in a tense voice. "Men, we must get inand get in at once or we shall be too late. It is time to move. Listento me, then obey promptly."