CHAPTER XXXVII.

A BATTLE ON A RUNAWAY CAR.

If there was one thing which Lemuel Akers could do well it was run.

At school he had often bested all opponents in contests of this sort.

His legs were long and the way he placed one in front of the other was really remarkable.

Our hero, on the other hand, had but rarely tried his speed.

He could run at baseball or in a game of hare and hounds, but that was as far as it went.

But Joe’s wind was good, and his legs long, and these counted for a good deal.

Down the street went Lemuel, with our hero not over a hundred feet behind him.

The thoroughfare was a little less than a quarter of a mile in length. It came to an end at the side of the Charles River.

At the foot of the street’s dock rested a rowboat, and into this leaped the bully, and shoved himself well out.

When Joe reached the dock Lemuel was more than a hundred feet from shore.

“Not to-day, Joe Johnson!” called out Lemuel tauntingly. “Some other day. Good-day!”

And he started for the other side of the river.

Joe did not know what to do, for no other boat was at hand.

He watched Lemuel and saw the bully heading for the upper end of the river.

“He must be bound for somewhere,” thought Joe.

Although without a boat, our hero did not intend to give up the chase.

Leaving the edge of the dock he hid behind some lumber.

Soon he felt certain Lemuel was going up to a number of freight piers above.

“If I only had my wheel,” thought Joe.

Scarcely had this passed through his mind, when the sounds of hoofs reached his ears.

Soon a horse attached to a light wagon hove into sight.

On the seat of the wagon sat an old farmer.

In a few words Joe explained the situation.

“Will you drive me along the docks after that fellow?” he asked.

“Certainly. Anything to catch a thief.”

Joe sprang into the light wagon, and off they went for half a dozen blocks.

Then our hero ran down to another dock.

The boat was there, showing that Lemuel had already landed.

At first Joe could find no trace of the bully, but presently he struck a boy who had seen him.

“Went over toward the freight station,” said the urchin.

And to the station our hero took his way.

It was a busy yard. A dozen men were loading and unloading several trains of freight cars.

A number of empties were standing around and Joe began to peer into first one and then another.

Suddenly he came face to face with Lemuel.

The bully struck at him with a stick he had picked up.

Joe caught the blow on the arm and hit Lemuel on the left ear.

The bully rolled over on the car floor and clean out of the door on the opposite side.

At that instant the train backed still further into the yard.

By the time Joe could get to the other side of the track Lemuel was fifty feet away.

He was running toward a train of empties which were just leaving the freight station.

He caught the next to the last car.

At the top of his speed Joe came on.

He made a desperate effort and caught the rear railing of the last car.

It was hard work to pull himself up on the car.

Then he crossed the top and let himself down into the car Lemuel had entered.

The bully tried to fight him off, but a sudden curve in the track threw him down on his back.

The curve nearly caused our hero to lose his life. But he held fast, and a second later dropped in through the open side door and right on top of Akers.

A fierce fight ensued. The bully did his best to throw Joe from the car, and on the other hand our hero fought to bring the bully to submission.

At last Joe was successful. He struck Lemuel squarely between the eyes, and the bully fell down as if laid out with a club.

When he came to, Joe had tied his hands behind him with a handkerchief.

“Now, if you try any more funny work I’ll give you some more,” said our hero by way of a warning.

Finding himself a prisoner, Lemuel began to beg of our hero to let him go.

“It was only a joke,” he said.

“It’s a joke which will cost you dear,” replied our hero grimly.

“But look here,” went on the bully. “Let me go and I’ll make it worth your while?”

“Can’t do it.”

Then Lemuel offered our hero a big sum of money if allowed to escape.

It was his share of another robbery he had committed.

To tell the truth, Lemuel Akers had become a criminal of the first order.

“I’ll not let you go for all the gold in the neighborhood, and that ends it,” said Joe.

He had just spoken when there came a sudden jar and a jolt.

The car came to a standstill and then began to move backward.

It kept going backward faster and faster.

In alarm Joe looked out of the door.

Then he realized the truth.

The car and the one behind it had broken away from the rest of the train.

He and Lemuel were on a runaway car and going along a down grade at a speed of a mile a minute!

The bully saw that something was wrong and he grew pale on the instant.

“What’s the matter?” he gasped.

“The car has cut away from the main train and along with the rear one is running away,” replied our hero.

Then he sprang to Lemuel’s side.

“I’ll release your hands,” he went on, “so that you will have as good a chance as I for your life.”

He quickly untied the handkerchief.

The bully began to tremble from head to foot.

“Do you think we will be--be killed?” he gasped.

“I don’t know what will happen. Better stand by the door and be prepared to jump off.”

Joe stepped to one door, and, trembling in every limb, Lemuel went to the other.

On and on swept the cars down.

Down around a curve.

A switch appeared.

The cars were now running at a fearful rate of speed, and at the switch they both jumped the track.

There was a series of bumps, a jerk, and then came a fearful crash of splintering wood.

Joe went sailing through the air. He landed on his back in a pool of meadow water, and then knew no more.

When he came to his senses a dozen men were bending over him. He had been taken from the pool and placed on a number of coats spread out on the dry grass.

“He’s coming around now,” he heard somebody say, and then sat up and stared about him.

Near at hand lay both cars completely smashed.

The crowd was composed of railroad men and included the regular hands of the train.

It was some time before Joe could tell his story.

The crowd listened with interest.

A search was made for Lemuel Akers, and he was found lying but a short distance away, fearfully injured.

“Get a doctor!” he groaned. “Oh, my leg! Oh, my leg!”

An examination was made and the limb was found to be broken.

Both Joe and his enemy were placed on another train and taken back to Boston.

They were met by Joe’s friends and the police.

Joe was at once taken to his stopping place and everything was done to put him into condition again.

Lemuel was removed to a hospital. Later on he was charged with entering, and sent to prison for one year. Joe could have preferred a more serious charge, but he did not want to be too hard on the fellow.

“It’s the fault of his training as much as anything,” he said to Dick. “The whole Akers crowd are not worth their salt.”

“You are right, Joe,” replied Dick. Then he shuddered. “How thankful I am that we escaped.”

“So am I.”