A LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE DRIVER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11246, 15 December 1899, Page 3

A LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE DRIVER.

The appointment isn't a sinecure," said the white manager. "You will find the ways of the inland peoplo irritatingly curious, and you musn't run your head against customs a thousand years old. They're not exactly Chinese, and they're not Malays, but under a mask of childish simplicity they combine the ingenious devilment of the two."

James Gardner laughed a little as lie stood in the galvanised depot of a narrow-gauge railway, which led baok from the lukewarm ocean into a jungle wilderness of Southern Asia. Then he said, "I was glad to get it, for in spite of a sheaf of certificates I've been patching boilers for the Chineso Government, who did me out of my pay. But why don't you get cheap coloured men to rim the menagerie ?" u " Won't work," answered the manager. "I couldn't stand their weird experiments with my rolling-stock. One genius rode in on a trolley, leaving his train in a swamp— it was bewitched, ho said. Another got badly frightened by a mad elephant, and you could expect that one any time inside of a day, while you're lucky because, as it happens, wo have a white firemian for you, I couldn't give him the engine for reasons you'll find out presently. Dass Baboo, take Mr. Gardner, and show him his fireman." Tho portly Hindoo salaamed solemnly, and when they crt«sad the hot. compound, said, "This fireman he is truly of the devil kind. He drink much liquor, and then he throw firewood at the populace. Now ho is clean tho ongine, so wo find him presently sleeping out of tho sun." They did so, and Mr. Timothy Fox being rudely awakened was in a bad tomper, so he looked Gardner over, and said, "You're the newest importation; well, suppose I wanted a holiday, and told you to fire yourself'!" Now Gardner, in the course of his hardup wanderings, had learned much of the strange life Europeans lead in tho East, whore nothing is too eccentric, and nothing is over wise, and patient labour runs side by sido with fantastic folly. Therefore, ho answered calmly, " I should take you by the collar and shake the life out of you," when Fox comprehending said, "And you look as if you could do it, so, perhaps, wo had better humour each other."

Thus, for lack of belter employment-, Gardner drovo the little train through the wild jungle, where lie sometimes ran over serpents several yards long, and was hampered by the wild pig, which mado a highway of tho track. Once, too, ho fought a battle with a bull elephant, which insisted on trying to shove the locomotive off the metals, and only abandoned the contest when a wheel-tlango removed its foot. Ho had also trouble with Fox, who having made friends with native ladies at stations along the way, desired to keep him waiting while ho paid his respects to them. Still, Fomehow, he brought his train always ill on time, and so grow famous, for hitherto no other man had ever done it.

"Yes," said tho observant manager, whoso patience was a# long as his speech was free, to an inquirer, " bo's shaping nicely, but I'm curious to six; what he will do when (lie irrepressible Daooit digs up the hatchet again. They upset matters last time badly, but I think this man will cuine out oil top ill an emergency."

So one evening, when tho junglo was reeking hoi, Gardner stood 011 his engine's footplate in a bamboo-built nativo town. The iron, latticed cars behind wore crammed with dusky merchants in 11 very quaint attire, and two trucks of costly products of tho inland East brought up the roar. "These is slow peoples," said the long-robed Asiatic beside him, " and somo of thorn they too steal much different tilings, but now the last, caso she is come."

" It's lime," said Gardner briefly. " We're all hour late already. Ah, they liavo finished blow the whistle, Fox." Tho boom of a gong vibrated through tho crowded station. a whistle blast answered, and with a win of the drivers Gardner's train pulled out. Behind them, almost duo north, burned the garish sunset, and in front stretched a chaos of darkening jungle, through which tho hewn track diminished ill a long perspective until the shadows swallowed it. "Morn wood," said Gardner. "Wo have got to mako out time,'* and presently the littlo engine rooked, while a cone-shaped blaze of radiance from tho American head lamp swopt flickering like a comet athwart tho blackness of primeval forest. The wild pig saw it and fled crashing through the bush,' and twice .1 deer launching itself in air barely cleared tlm track, while Gardner bathed in perspiration stared ahead through the quivering glasses. The dust drove in through the ions of the lurching cars liehind, which, heal by the oil lamps, resembled ovens, and the shaken, dusky passengers were almost sick with heat. This invention of the while devils might cover a week's journey in one night, they said, but the gods of the coloured races had ordained that, all should suffer who travelled by it. Gardner's head was throbbing: his eyes ached under tho strain, and once lie started nervously when a beetle which crawled on the headlamp was projected many times magnified far away down the lino. Still he rushed the pounding locomotivo at full speed through the bush until the pace grew slower as they climbed through tho steam of a reeking morass up a steep grade towards higher and drier land. Then as sparks showered from the funnel, and a heavy panting marked cacb yard won. Gardner rubbed his eyes, and shouting "Brakes," thrust the regulator over. Ahead the continuity of glistening metals, which with tho bright light touching them, ran under the trees again, was broken by a gap, and ho said, "Somo confounded native blacksmith has been stealing another rail. By George, it's lucky wo saw it in time."

Tlio grind of brake-shoes died away, the rattlo of wheels grow still, and there was a murmur of voices from the train, while Gardner, leaning out from the lower step, glanced at tlio damage. Two short rails had been torn up; there was no doubt of that, for they had also been lashed down across tlio others, and with sudden uneasiness lie glanced at the forest. Outsido tlio glare of the head lamp all was black and still; only a loom of shadowy trunks, with white mists among thorn, until somebody whistled and ft patter of foot, began. Gardner turned sharply, but a hot hand grasped his leg; there was a yell of " Look out," and a little man jumping from somewhere wound an arm about his neck. This was no time, ho realised, for scientific fighting, so getting his hoot heel on something that felt like a head, ho kicked as hard as lie could, and after a bowl of pain bis foot was free. Then a heavy object descended upon tlio back of his bead; lie lunged at tlio second assailant, and cut his knuckles on tlio water tank instead, after which a creepor ropo was also passed round his neck, and choking ho was dragged into tho cab, who.ro ho foil oil the floorplatcs, and tlio other man sat 011 liim. More of the Daeoits tied his hands, and by tlio light of tlio furnace door ho saw Fox drive an iron bar into a yellow man's ribs beforo lie, too, was knocked down by a firewood billet. Tlio aggressor prudently ' repeated the blow, though it would have been wisor to uso tlio knife instead, for tlio fireman cams of a thick-skulled race, pro- ; verbially hard to kill. Fox, however, did not move any more, and Gardner lay bound and helpless, while ono roblier in airy garments remained to watch over him, and the rest retired to loot tlio train. Howls of terror rose from the cars, there was an occasional scuffle, and yells of delight, and it is probable some of the Daeoits would have been enriched for life, but for the trifling fact that tlio watcher was of an inquisitive nature. So, instead of attending strictly to his part of tlio business, he proceeded to turn out the lockers, while Gardner ground his teeth _ and watched him savagely, until lis saw his comrade quietly raise his head. There was blood upon it, but ho winked at Gardner, and then lay still as the Dacoit glanced that way. The yellow man bentdown again, and Gardner hold his breath as ho saw a sooty hand slide across tho floorplates towards tho iron bar, and then hearing something the Dacoit turned onco more. Ho was too late, however, for the metal met him in the teeth, and when tlio two went down together Fox was uppermost, and in spito of bites from the red-stained teeth, slammed the other's head viciously against the iron floor. Then the fireman rose, and said, panting, " They didn't quite knock all the sense out of mo, and I think I've settled him. Give me the knife, quick I'll loose you." Feeling sick and dizzy, Gardner rose to his feet, and leaned over the tank once more. Some of the cars were silent, but from others there rose a wild uproar, and dim figures were dropping from them with bundles on to tho track. Then Fox tapped his shoulder, and said, " What are you going to do? I wonder if wo loosed tho couplin' would she fall down the causeway or jump the gap,'' but Gardner chuckled, as with a sudden inspiration he said, "There's a better way than that. If sho can't go forward, what's to stop her going back? Heavo that rascal over, or he'll come round again, and use the knife this time. Moro wood in the furnace."

There was a sob from the cylinders as ho pulled the lever over, a whirring rasp of the drivers, and a yell of alarm, but the lino ran down hill, and it was easy starting. So a few revolutions gave the train good way, and Gardner, chancing everything, turned full steam on, while, before passengers and Dacoits fully realised what had happened, the cars were rattling backwards down the incline. A few shouting figures, it is true.

came running towards the engine, but Fox made good practice at them with firewood billets, and where these failed he used the shovel. Thus in a very few minutes they were flying at full speed across the swamp again, with the sleepers quaking under them, and voices apparently howling threats or entreaties in an unknown tongue. Also partly seen by the yellow light from the cars, men clung to the footboards, and fought to get inside, though some were either flung or leapt off into the surrounding darkness. "Move steam!" said Gardner, laughing. " It would be a great haul if I could run the wholo gang safely into ICurranay, and the only way to do it is to drive her hard enough to keep them from jumping off. Besides, by now, the passengers may start and tackle them, too."

They did their utmost to accomplish this, and trusting none of the pushed cars would leave the metals, Gardner ran his train at topmost speed through the forest. Now and then the swarthy keepers of the fow whitepainted stations, roused from sleep by tho whistle, stared in bewilderment when tho clattering cars reeled and bounced backwards past them, with men lying on the footboards or crouching 011 the roofs, to vanish through a dust-cloud into the jungle. Once, also, a stealthy figure tried to crawl in over the back of tho tonder with a bent knife in his hand, but a billet was neatly dropped upon his head, and what became of him after Gardner never knew. Again, there was a nasty thudding splash in tho driver casing, and a sound as of hard steel tearing through something, and Gardner said, " I hope that's only another confounded python, and I— think— is."

It was early morning when, with tho whistle screaming a discordant warning for five minutes on end, the little train came clanging into ICurranay, and half of its dusky inhabitants, swarming out from their bamboo dwellings, flocked together about tho end of tho track. Then, as the brakes brought tho dusky cars up, shocking together, Gardner loaned over the water-tank and laughed almost until he cried. Amid a babel of greetings, questions, and explanations, the passongors dragged somo prisoners they had made, very much tho worse for wear, out from under the seats, while with clubs and knives, and bamboos, several gaudy native officials, tho rabble, and the rest of tho Dacoits, commenced a free fight all over the station, during which, if little blood was spilt, much light property was destroyed, and somo of it looted. Then, rubbing his face complacently with a dirty handkerchief, Gardner dofined his attitude to a turbancd officer, "I've done my share of the matter, and I'm not a policeman," ho said. How many there wero I don't know, but you might find more of them crippled somewhere along tho track. Now, just ask tho traffic agent for a bottle of his laager."

Also, in tho trial that followed, one of tlio Dacoits, who testified against- the rest, thus explained tho matter through ail interpreter: "Our chief was surely born a very foolish man, for when we talked together ho said, 'The white man's fire carriage can only go eyes first; this I know, because I have scon them turning the devil-born thing round.' And so by following evil counsel wo [ell into this trap, 12 of us, all peaceful peasants. And I hopo tho protectors will hang that man for deceiving us."

Afterwards the manager, who, through the hands of others mora prominent, dominated that railway, said to Gardner, "You know there is a feeling here against too many Englishmen, and there's reason in it from the coloured man's point of view, but you hang on a. little, I've already a well-paid post in my mind for you. How did the lucky thought strike you?"

"It wasn't quite original," said Gardner, with a laugh. " I believo someone elso once did the same thing before, but it worked satisfactorily, and that's the good of remembering things, you seo."