"Well," said Bill Michaels, grimly, at last, "all I kin say is that if they ever puts that snake on exhibition th' biggest circus tent on earth won't hold th' crowds." "I'm goin' up t' take a look at him," announced the brakeman, grasping the rake. "I'll go with you," said Allan, reflecting that, after all, a snake which did nothing more than deluge its assailants with water was not so very dangerous, and he followed the brakeman up the pile of coal. The latter reached the top and peered cautiously over. The next instant, his cap flew from his head, carried away by a stream of water which whistled past him and fell upon Allan. The brakeman ducked, and the two crouched for a moment staring into each other's eyes. "Well, I'll be blamed!" said the brakeman, hoarsely. "Did you see anything?" asked Allan. "Nothin' but a thing that looked like a nozzle squirtin' water at me!" and he wiped the water from his eyes. "Well, I'm as wet now as I kin git. I'm a-goin' to see what it is," and again he elevated his head cautiously over the top of the pile of coal. Allan saw a stream of water strike him violently in the face; but he held his place and shook it off, and the next instant, roaring with laughter, fairly rolled down the coal into the cab, carrying the boy with him. "What is it?" asked Pinkey with bated breath. Allan shook his head and pointed to the brakeman, who sat on the floor of the cab, rocking to and fro, holding his sides, with tears and water running down his cheeks. "He's gone crazy!" cried Pinkey. "He's seen it an' 's gone crazy!" "Ho! ho!" roared the brakeman. "If you'd 'a' seen his eye! If you'd only seen his eye!" Michaels, who had managed to keep his lookout ahead only in the most intermittent fashion, closed the throttle and applied the brakes. "I'm a-goin' t' see what this is," he said, savagely, "if we never move another foot! What was it you seen, Jim? Whose eye?" "If you'd 'a' seen his little wicked eye!" yelled the brakeman. "Oh! I must go up an' look at it agin!" But the train creaked to a stop, and the engineer jumped down from his seat and seized Jim fiercely. "Here, you," he cried. "What is it? Speak out, or by George--" "It's th' elephant!" gasped Jim. "Oh, if you'd 'a' seen his eye a-twinklin'!" Michaels dropped the brakeman and jumped to the ground, the others following. And there, sure enough, with his trunk sticking out of a little window in the front end of the car just back of the tender was the elephant. Even as they looked, the trunk stretched forward, and the end of it disappeared through the manhole in the top of the tank. "What's up?" inquired the conductor, running up from the rear of the train. "What you stoppin' out here for, Bill? They's no plug here!" A stream of water caught him squarely on the side of the face, and left him dazed and speechless. The engineer, fireman, and brakeman danced around, yelling and slapping their knees.