THE IRON HORSE

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12353, 25 January 1926, Page 12

THE IRON HORSE

A Romance of |E.ast and West

The “Time*" hat secured the exclusive rights to the stirring romance* “The Iron Horse/* which has been novelised by Edwin C. Hill* 4 from William Fox's picture romance of that name.

CHAPTER XXVII. “MISTA CLOCKEE'S PETS" Davy and Casey reached California to find the Central Pacific poised grandly on the very summit of the Sierra, with a long tongue of track stretching down over the divide from Summit to. Cisco. They inquired for Mr Crocker and were told that he was somewhere along the Upper Truckee where tracks were build* ing both ways to cover a seven-mile gap. Next day they found him a massive,black* bearded man, with a great voice, personally supervising the labour of two thous* and Chinese strung along that grade. “I have a letter irom Thomas Marsh." said Brandon. Mr Crocker stretched out his hand and took the letter Davy handed him. Davy studied him with immense interest. Marsh had often spoken of this hum&p steam engine who had driven the western end of the transcontinental through or. over the most impossible obstacles. The small dry goods merchant had developed into a great organiser, one of the most marvellous drivers of men the country ever knew. Problem after problem, terrific enough to daunt and defeat ordinary men, were seized and solved by Crocker's resolution and ingenuity. When he found that white labour was impossible, that white men couldn't be depended upon, even at four dollars a day, deserting at the first opportunity to flock to the-gold and silver mines, he brought in Mongolians by the thousands, paying them a dollar a day and their keep. The slant-eyed coolies came trooping in from San Francisco, Sacramento and the south, wearing their queer basket hats, blue blouses and flapping pantaloons. They brought with them everything they own-, ed in the world in oilcloth bundles slung over- their backs, indifferent to any hardship, any change of climate so long as they could sell their patient industry. ‘'Crocker's pets/* they were called derisively and there was truth, in the fling. Crocker took them,, trained them and used them as a-good workman knows how to handle an effective tool. In heat or cold, storm or fair weather, quiet, peaceable,industriouß, they carried the road forward. All along the mounting right-of-way they toiled like ants, imnumerable, unflagging. Under the lash of Crocker's tongue they chisled through the rocky mountain wall, with only black powder and hand tools to aid them. -Harnessed with struggling horses and mules they dragged locomotives over thp crest ana down to the plains of. Nevada in order that the road might spurt ahead undelayed by tunnel bunding. They clustered thickly in the passes, building snowshedß and trestles. With sledge hammer, pick, spade and wheelbarrow they toiled in their thousands. The dash of the Irish carried forward the Union. Pacific, hut it was the placid endurance of the Chinese that lifted the Central Pacific over the great Sierra wall and ran, it swiftly across the stark deserts of. Nevada. “Mr Marsh says yon are both good men/* said Charles Crocker, putting the letter in his pocket. “I need good men. Know anything, about bossing Chinamen ?" 'No," said Davy* “hut I shouldn't think they would need much bossing, except to tell them what to do in following a given plan." ‘That's right," nodded Crocker. "They are the best unskilled labourers in the world. JBe patient with them, show them fust what yon want, and they'll keep, going through hell. They laughed

at me when 1 brought the yellow hoys to the line. There are 11,000 of them on my pay roll now." Winter was coming fast. Snowstorm succeeded snowstorm. The line was kept open by a procession of <§now ploughs whicn bucked the great drifts. Track-laying became impossible, but Crocker ana his aides never flagged. Thousands of Chinese, were put to work to complete the tunnels at the Tear. “How can . you make stonemasons out of them?" Brandon asked the boss. “Why not?" demanded Crocker. “They built the Chinese Wall, didn't they?" Between storms the army of ants, scattered ,up and down the divide, launched their inceßS&nt attacks with black powder, crowbar, pick and shovel, blasting snow and ice, as''well as rock, from the hard-packed ravines. The Chinese steamed yith sweat as they toiled in the bitter cold, but they were invariably cheerful at their hard labour or over their pork and rice. Davy and Casey each had a big gang of willing yellow men under him as they carried on the iigb.t against, the gripping winter. At night wheu they met, ate supper and stretched. themselves out after a bitter day, Davy put off sleep to hear Pat’s tales of his Celestial crew. “Sure an' th' • monkey faces know their bethers, Davy," Pat began after a day in the snow sheds. “When I first took charge, there was wan av thim — we're good frinds now—says to me, wanchee?' He looked at me so, thjjt cross between a limmon peel and a bad case of yelly janders. ‘What wanchee?' I gave' him a piece of my mind, Davy, me bye. It is good fer thim lower races to be spoken to by tbeir superiors. I says to him, Davy, 'Come closer to me, ye yelly plague, and lave me knock the stuffin' out av yez'!'' 'Then what happened?" asked Brandon, chuckling. “Nawthin' at all. It seems I misread the intintions of the pagan. It was orders he was askin' fer. An' arders I gave. thim. Old Crocker came along this marnin' as I was bossin' me haarsehaired jolls. I knew it was him before .he neared me, fer a fall half of the Chinks* were grinnin' like yelly \ idols, bobbin' their heads, saying, /Mista Clockee, Mista Clockee.' 'Twas the big boss, a good Irishman, Davy, which is the answer to the succiss av th' road. We passed th' time of day/' Pat cocked an eye at Brandon, halting the ingenuous narrative. Davy knew his man, taking his cne nobly. "Did he say anything, Pat?" "Did he say anythin'?" exclaimed Casey. "Me modesty prevents me from rapatin' his exact exprissions, Davy. He gave a glance at me little josses, and he says, ‘Mr Casey, 'tie & great pleasure to find a man of your calibre/ he says. ‘We have built this road over the Sierry Nevady, Mr Casey, at the expense of incredible .tile/ he says, Taut the job is a long way from being complete. I want you to know, * Mr Casey/ he says, 'that the Cintril Pacific relies on you for the great race ahead of us/ he ©ays. ‘I misdoubt we could carry on without yez/ " "Pat, you are one of the most talented liars west of the Atlantic. Ocean/' laughed Brandon. "Tou said the same thing about Marsh, word for word/' "Av coorse," said Pat, Unblushingly. "3fe merit niver fails to win the praise which is its jnst due, Davy. You're jealous, me bye. I can see it in the green eyes av ye." (To be continued.)