Tom started back for the center of the car, found the side door and put his head out for a breath of clean air. Then he drew the door shut and made his way to the rear end again. That would keep the smoke from Shadrack as he climbed to the top of the car. Tom clung there, holding to the brake bar and the ladder, looking up. He saw Shadrack's legs disappear over the edge. Dizziness overcame him for a moment. He held on with all his strength, closed his eyes, letting the cool rain splatter in his face. Then he climbed the ladder, Shadrack was sitting on the top of the car, swaying weakly. "Are you all right, Shadrack?" asked Tom. "Yes--in a second. Thanks for coming. The smoke almost finished me. I was scattering the flames around. Is the fire going all right?" "Yes. We'd better get back to the tender." "I would have fallen off, if you hadn't closed that door. I'm still dizzy." Tom looked ahead and saw the bridge. "Come on, Shadrack," he said. "We have to get forward. On your hands and knees." He, too, was so dizzy that he could not trust himself to walk upright. Together they crawled forward over the hot roof. Beneath them the flames crackled. As they came to the end of the car and looked down into the tender, they found the men yelling, "Shadrack! Burns!" One of the men was gesticulating wildly to Andrews. "Here we are!" yelled Tom. He waved to Andrews. "We thought you were caught in there," said Wilson, helping them into the tender. "Dorsey started after you, but the fire forced him back." "We _were_ almost caught," gasped Tom, still choking from the smoke. The forward part of the car was a solid mass of flames, which roared and crackled above the noise of the engine. "Pass some of those logs into the engine!" Tom entered the cab and stuffed fuel into the fire-box. Andrews, leaning from the fireman's window, was gazing back. He called to Tom and pointed. Behind them, perhaps a mile and a half, came the pursuing engine. "Tell the men to pull the coupling when we stop," said Andrews. Tom obeyed, and Ross crawled over the end of the tender, his coat wrapped about his head to protect him from the flames, which spurted out in the eddies of wind. "How much fuel have you left?" asked Andrews. "Ten sticks." "This is our last chance, then," Andrews replied. "We'll have to abandon the locomotive if they get through." Andrews jumped up and crossed to the other side of the engine. He stood beside Knight, shouting into his ear. Knight nodded; then he closed the throttle, and the _General's_ speed slackened. The bridge shed was looming ahead of them. The _General_ darted into the shed and came to a stop. Tom stood at the door of the tender, waiting for the signal that the car had been uncoupled. Already the flames were licking the shed walls and mounting to the roof; the scene was illuminated in a wavering, red glow. Boss jumped up from behind the tender, and yelled, "Go!"