He _did_ reach it, somehow, and raised himself to turn the knob and open it, when from behind him there came a blood-curdling yell, the smoking door burst open and a frantic apparition plunged through the sheet of flame, snatched open the other door before which Allan crouched, and, catching the boy by the collar as it passed, hurled itself on across the waiting-room and through the outer door to safety. There it dropped the boy heavily beside the track, and threw itself into a pool of muddy water, left by the rain of the evening before. In this it wallowed and rolled, as though enjoying the utmost luxury of the bath, and Allan, watching it, began to fancy it some kind of monstrous amphibian. But at last the monster rose, shook itself, and a hoarse voice issued from it. "Thought they had Jed Hopkins, did they? Shoot him an' burn him--bound t' git him some way! Not this time, gentlemen! Oh, no, not this time," and Jed rubbed his hand over his head, leaving himself almost bald, for his hair had been scorched off. He stood an instant watching the flames. Then he remembered Allan, and strode toward him. "Hello, kid," he said. "What'd they do to you?" The gag prevented Allan from uttering more than a hoarse grunt by way of answer. Jed stooped down and looked at him more closely. "Gagged, by gum!" he said, and reaching around behind the boy's head, had the gag loose in a moment. "Not dead, eh?" he asked. "No," answered Allan, smiling despite his wounds. "Only knocked up a little." "An' tied up, too," added Jed, seeing the ropes for the first time. "I thought there was something queer about you when I dragged you out, but I didn't hev time t' stop an' inquire what it was. There you are," and he drew a knife from his pocket and severed the ropes. "Kin you stand up?" He helped the boy to his feet, and after a moment of uncertainty, the latter was able to stand alone. "Oh, I guess you ain't much hurt," said Jed, cheerfully. "Where'd all this gore come from?" and he indicated the boy's shirt, the front of which was fairly soaked with blood. "From my nose," answered Allan, smiling again. "Oh, that's good fer ye!" Jed assured him. "Banged you on th' nose, did they? Break it?" "I don't know," and Allan touched it tenderly. "It's pretty sore." "Let's see," said Jed, and seizing the swollen organ, he wiggled it back and forth, not regarding the boy's pained protest. "No, it ain't broke," he announced, after a moment. "Hurt any place else?" "I think not," Allan replied, feeling himself all over. "Nothing more than a few bruises, at least. But aren't _you_ hurt? I thought you were dead." Jed passed his hand over his head again, and laughed. "So did that feller who put his pistol to my head an' pulled th' trigger," he said. "You see, they all piled on me so that it wasn't fer some time I could git an arm loose an' git my gun out." "I thought the station was coming down," Allan remarked, "from the noise you made. It felt like an earthquake."