To those waiting Merriwell’s reappearance every minute seemed an hour. When he could stand it no longer, Brad surrendered the girls into other hands and started to crawl back into the car. He had not entirely disappeared from the view of those outside before he found Dick, who was assisting Hal to get out. Darrell had been shocked senseless, and there was a bad scalp wound on his head, from which blood trickled down one side of his face. “There you are, pard!” exultantly cried Buckhart. “Let me give you a lift.” “Clear the way!” answered Dick. “You can help us move. We’re all right, aren’t we, Darrell?” “Yes, yes,” muttered Hal thickly. “Where is Doris?” “She’s all right. I took good care to look after her. She’s outside.” “Hurt?” “I don’t think she is hurt a bit.” “Thank God!” said Hal. When Doris saw him, as he crept forth with his face blood-stained, she uttered a scream and hastened to him. “Hal! Hal!” He looked at her and smiled. “Well, you are all right!” he exclaimed thankfully. “Dick told me the truth.” “But you—you?” “Oh, it’s nothing but a scratch. Don’t worry about me.” “I am so glad, Hal—so glad!” she sobbed joyfully. “Isn’t it just marvelous we escaped?” “It’s a wonder every one on the train wasn’t killed.” It was, indeed, a wonder. Still, among them all, the fireman was the only one who lost his life. The engineer escaped with scarcely a scratch. The expressman had a broken leg, and others were injured, yet none very seriously. The marvelous escape of so many from such a terrible disaster caused no end of newspaper comment and wonderment. There was plenty of excitement at Fardale when news of the catastrophe reached that place. A special train had been made up and sent to the relief of the victims, and this train took the Fardale passengers back to town some three hours behind time. As it drew up at the station, those on board looked out on a vast crowd packed on the platform and banked back beyond it, until swallowed by the darkness. It seemed that, besides the academy boys, every man, woman, and child in the village was there. When the train stopped Dick Merriwell was almost the first person to appear on the platform of the car. At sight of him a wild roar of joy went up from the cadets. The lights fell on their upturned faces, and he saw them fling their hands into the air as they hoarsely shouted his name. It gave him an indescribable thrill. “There he is, boys!” howled one of the cadets, with a powerful voice. “There’s Dick Merriwell! He’s all right!” “Merriwell! Merriwell! Merriwell!” they shrieked. Dick lifted his hand, and in a few moments their shouting died away. “Fellows,” he cried, in that clear, musical voice of his, “it gives me unspeakable happiness to inform you that we are all all right. Not one of our party was seriously injured.”