Produced by Roger Frank, Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: "The Next Moment Was a Blank"] CHASING AN IRON HORSE Or A Boy's Adventures in the Civil War By EDWARD ROBINS Author of "With Washington in Braddock's Campaign," "A Boy in Early Virginia," etc. [Illustration: QUI NON PROFICIT DEFICIT] PHILADELPHIA GEORGE W. JACOBS & CO. PUBLISHERS Copyright, 1902, By GEORGE W. JACOBS & Co. Published August, 1902. Preface The locomotive chase in Georgia, which forms what may be called the background of this story, was an actual occurrence of the great Civil War. But I wish to emphasize the fact that the following pages belong to the realm of fiction. Some of the incidents, and the character of Andrews, are historic, whilst other incidents and characters are imaginary. The reader who would like to procure an account of the chase as it really happened should consult the narrative of the Reverend William Pittenger. Mr. Pittenger took part in the expedition organized by Andrews, and his record of it is a graphic contribution to the annals of the conflict between North and South. Edward Robins. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. HAZARDOUS PLANS 7 II. NEARING THE GOAL 27 III. MINGLING WITH THE ENEMY 56 IV. PLOT AND PLOTTERS 95 V. ON THE RAIL 121 VI. AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE 156 VII. ENERGETIC PURSUIT 188 VIII. TWO WEARY WANDERERS 206 IX. IN GREATEST PERIL 232 X. FINAL TRIALS 263 ILLUSTRATIONS "The Next Moment was a blank" Frontispiece The Major merely changed the position of his legs 82 Fuller was steaming to the northward with "The Yonah" 192 None too soon had he executed this manoeuvre 214 Watson placed his hand over the man's mouth 270 CHASING AN IRON HORSE CHAPTER I HAZARDOUS PLANS