"I love to see a snowdrop Ahanging on a tree, Aglistening in the sunshine As happy as can be."

"Great red-headed snakes!" burst out Jack. "Andy has turned poet!"

"Don't you think you ought to take something for it, Andy? Cough mixture, or measles eradicator, or something like that?" questioned Fred.

"I think what he needs is a good dose of codliver oil, served hot," came from Gif.

"No codliver oil for me!" cried the fun-loving Rover. "You deal that out to Spouter. It will help oil his tongue and make his flow of oratory better."

"Speaking of cough mixtures, I think I'll get a bottle of some sort when we get to Timminsport if they have a drugstore," said Jack. "Some of us may catch cold and need it."

With such talk going on, the journey continued. They were now running for a small station named Enwood, where they were to pick up two extra cars from a small side road coming down from the north. In this section there was a good deal of snow, and the train, consequently, had to run rather slowly.

"I think I could get out and walk almost as fast as this train is moving," remarked Spouter presently.

"It isn't as bad as that, Spouter," returned Jack, looking out of the window. "We are making at least fifteen miles an hour, and you couldn't hoof it as quick as that."

"It certainly seems awfully slow," remarked Fred. He was beginning to grow sleepy, and now he rested his head on the back of the seat and closed his eyes.

"Perhaps we won't be able to get through to Timminsport," came from Randy. "That would be a fine state of affairs, eh?"

"I don't see any houses along the line. We'd have one sweet job finding a place to go to if the train became s...o...b..und," said Andy.

"They generally manage to keep this road open, no matter how bad the storms are," declared Gif. "You see, the hunters are coming and going all the time, as well as the lumbermen and the folks that live in and around Timminsport and Enwood. They don't like to be cut off from the rest of the world, even for a day or two."

"I hope we don't have to wait for that other train when we get to Enwood," said Spouter. "That may be awfully late, you know."

"I asked the conductor awhile ago, and he said they hoped it would be on time. It comes down hill most of the way, and that is in its favor. If they had to pull uphill much, they might get stuck."

Presently they pa.s.sed a small lumber camp, and one of the other pa.s.sengers told the boys they were now within half a mile of Enwood.

"And that is only twelve miles from Timminsport," said Gif. "We ought to be there in about half an hour or so."

They had struck a portion of the track which was comparatively free of snow, and the engineer of the train was now trying to make up some of the lost time. The boys were congratulating themselves on this when they suddenly heard a shriek of the locomotive whistle, followed instantly by the sudden application of the steam brakes. The train shuddered and shook, and two seconds later there came a crash from the front, and then the train came to a sudden stop.

The Rover boys and their chums had leaped to their feet at the first shock. The second threw Spouter headlong, and Randy went down almost on top of him. Fred was awakened from his brief nap by having his forehead b.u.mped upon the seat ahead of him.

"What's the matter?"

"What did we strike?"

"Are we going to upset?"

"Let me get out of here! I don't want to be smashed up!"

Such were some of the cries which rent the air while the train was still in motion and after it came to a standstill. Every pa.s.senger had been shaken up, and not a few were knocked down. Fortunately, however, no one in that particular car seemed to be much hurt, although several were bruised and every one was more or less nervous.

"Are you hurt, Fred?" questioned Jack quickly, as he saw his young cousin feeling of his forehead.

"Well, I got a pretty good b.u.mp," answered the youngest Rover, "and I guess I'm going to have a lump there as a consequence."

"We'll get out and see what's doing, and then you can put some snow on it."

Some of the pa.s.sengers were already leaving the car, and the Rover boys and their chums quickly followed. The trouble was all ahead, and they had some difficulty in wading through the snow alongside the track to get to the front of the train.

Here it was plain to be seen what had happened. The train from the north had come in and tried to take the siding, as was the custom. But the switch had become blocked with snow, and the train had been thrown out on the main track, which at this point, crossed the track on which the train from Portview was coming. The big locomotive of the latter train had ploughed through the middle of the train from the north, hitting the latter between two of the cars and sending those cars in either direction to the sides of the track.

"Gee! this is some wreck!" exclaimed Gif.

"I should say it was!" declared Jack. "It looks to me as if somebody might be killed."

From the two wrecked cars came cries of pain and yells for help. One of the cars still stood up, but at a dangerous angle, while the other had turned completely over and rested on its top in the snow.

All was excitement, and for the time being everyone seemed to be so dazed that but little was done. Pa.s.sengers were leaping from both of the wrecked cars, some coming through the doorways and some through the broken-out windows. Jack and Randy ran to one of the cars, and were able to a.s.sist a woman with a little girl to alight and reach a place of safety. In the meanwhile, the other lads a.s.sisted two elderly men. One had his foot hurt, and they carried him into the railroad station, where they laid him on one of the benches.

"Look! Look!" cried Fred suddenly, forgetting all about his hurt forehead. "Look! That car over yonder is on fire!"

The car he mentioned was that which had turned over and was resting on its top in the snow. From the interior thick black smoke was coming, and this was presently followed by a tongue of flame. The car was a combination baggage and smoker, and it was afterwards learned that one of the pa.s.sengers had been carrying a can of kerosene which had broken open in the smash-up, and had evidently become ignited by some thrown-down cigar or cigarette.

"Those people will be in danger of burning up!" gasped Randy.

"They will be unless they get out in a hurry," answered Spouter.

From the interior of the car came more cries, and presently all outside heard a man yelling in a tone of agony:

"Help! Help! Somebody save me! My leg is caught fast, and I can't get out! Save me!"

CHAPTER X

THE RESCUE

"There's a man left in there!"

"He says his leg is caught fast!"

"Help! Help!" came more faintly from the interior of the burning car.

"Help, or I'll be burnt to death!"

Only a few pa.s.sengers seemed to hear these cries, for most of the men who had come from the other train were gathered near the car which was still standing. The Rover boys and their chums listened in horror to the call for a.s.sistance. Jack was the first to leap forward.

"We'll have to save that fellow if we can," he cried determinedly.

"I think he is close to one of these windows," said Randy, pointing to several broken-out windows through which some other pa.s.sengers in the car had climbed.

"Wait! I've got an idea!" exclaimed Fred. "See that stick of wood? Why can't we place that against one of the windows and climb up on it?"