"Every kind--shot-guns, pistols, rifles, flint-locks, cap-locks--every kind. Now, you mustn't ask me any more questions. Don't bother me." "Yes, sir; I won't." Quiet for at least five seconds. Then: "Have the guerrillas guns that'll shoot through the sides of the cars?" "Probably." "Then I'd ruther be on top, where I kin see something. Kin they shoot through the sides o' the tender, and let all the water out and stop the engine?" "Guess not." "Haven't they any real big guns that will?" "Mebbe." "Kin we plug up the holes, anyway, then, and start agin?" "Probably." "Hain't the engineer got an iron shield that he kin git behind, so they can't shoot him?" "Can't he turn the steam onto 'em, and scald 'em if they try to git at him?" "What'll happen if they shoot the head-light out?" "Why wouldn't it be a good idee to put a lot o' us on the cow-ketcher, with fixed bayonets, and then let the engineer crack on a full head o' steam and run us right into 'em?" "Great Scott, Pete, you must stop askin' questions," said Si desperately. "Don't you see Pm busy?" Pete was silent for another minute. Then he could hold in no longer: "Sergeant, jest one question more, and then I'll keep quiet." "Well, what is it?" "If the rebels shoot the bell, won't it make a noise that they kin hear clear back at Nashville?" The engine suddenly stopped, and gave two long whistles. Above the screech they heard shots from Shorty and the two boys with him. "Here they are, boys," said Si, springing out and running up the bank. "All out, boys. Come up here and form." As he reached the top of the bank a yell and a volley came from the other side of the creek. Shorty joined him at once, bringing the two boys on the engine with him. "We've bin runnin' through this deep cut," he explained, "and jest come out onto the approach to the bridge, when we see a little fire away ahead, and the head-light showed some men runnin' down on to the bank on the other side o' the crick. We see in a moment what was up. They've jest got to the road and started a fire on the bridge that's about a mile ahead. Their game was to burn that bridge, and when this train stopped, burn this one behind us, ketch us, whip us, and take the train. We shot at the men we see on the bank, but probably didn't do 'em no harm. They're all pilin' down now to the other bank to whip us out and git the train. You'd better deploy the boys along the top o' the bank here and open on 'em. We can't save that bridge, but we kin this and the train, by keepin' 'em on the other side o' the crick. I'll take charge o' the p'int here with two or three boys, and drive off any o' them that tries to set fire to the bridge, and you kin look out for the rest o' the line. It's goin' to be longtaw work, for you see the crick's purty wide, but our guns 'll carry further'n theirs, and if we keep the boys well in hand I think we kin stand 'em off without much trouble."