Railroads -- United States -- Design and construction -- Fiction; Western stories
“No. They saw too much of the start of my wagons yesterday. They would
make out any movement on the river. You take the down party, Tiffany,
with Haddon; I’ll go up with Dimond. Then you can leave Haddon in
charge when you have him placed, and move about where you please.”
Not a man of either party knew where he was to go, but as was the case
at the beginning of the movement on “Durfee,” voices were subdued and
nerves were strung up. As soon as it was dark, men carrying
rifles and with light rations stuffed into all available
pockets--little men, middle-sized men, and big men, but all active and
well-muscled--appeared here and there by ones and twos and threes,
dodged out of the camp, and slipped through the hollow behind the
trestle-end. There was little champing and pawing of horses to-night,
for Carhart and Byers were the only ones to ride. The men lay or sat
on the rocks and on the ground there behind the brow of the ridge, and
talked soberly. Before long an inquisitive bridgeman counted a hundred
and twenty of them, and still they were coming silently through the
hollow. After a time Dimond appeared, then Haddon and Byers walking
together, and, after a long wait, Tiffany and Carhart themselves.
Then the five leaders grouped for a consultation. Those near by could
see that Carhart was laying down the code that was to govern their
conduct for a day or two. Something was said before the group broke up
which drew an affirmative oath from Tiffany and started Haddon and
Dimond examining their weapons, and stirred Byers to an excited
question. Then Tiffany drew off a rod or so with Haddon at his heels,
saying, “My boys, this way.” And as the word passed along man after
man, to more than a hundred, sprang up and fell in behind him. Carhart
beckoned to those who were left, fully an equal number of them, and
these gathered together behind their chief.
“Good night, Tiffany,” said Carhart, then.
But Tiffany’s gruffness suddenly gave way. With a “wait a minute,
boys,” he came striding over and took Carhart’s hand in a rough grip.
“Good luck, Paul,” he said something huskily. And then he cleared his
throat. “Good luck!” he said again, and went back to his men. And the
two parties moved off over the broken ground and the rocks, Carhart
and Byers leading their horses.
Carhart led his men nearly two miles north, then forded the stream at
a point where it ran wide and shallow. He climbed the west ridge, and
turned south along the farther slope. After twenty minutes of
advancing cautiously he sent Dimond to follow the crest of the ridge
and keep their bearings. Another twenty minutes and Dimond came down
the slope and motioned them to stop.
“Is this the knoll ahead here?” asked the chief.
Dimond nodded.
“Quietly, then. Byers, you wait here with the horses.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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