THEIR "LAST HOUR."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 979, 21 November 1910, Page 6

THEIR "LAST HOUR."

:.A ROUGH RAILWAY RIDE. .:/ IJOO SERIOUS TO BE PLEASANT. .' "Ricketty-kick, Kicketty-rick, KickettyJicki" The volunteer speoial. from Trentham was making good time.back to town with' its train-load of shooting/ men- on Saturday: afternoon, and was taking tho •Bhafp curves beyond Silverstream Station, "ata smart clip when— - •' " Bang■!—jolt!—r'.atter!—clatter—rickettyiick—bang!—jolt!—the train Teeled from side'to'side, weird noises came from under the: cars, and still weirder t noises came ■iiom the throats of.the riflemen above. "Strike me!" remarked the dealer of a four-handed euchre party, as he dealt ■all-his cards at,onco;and dived, most unwillingly and entirely without ceremony, lead-first into tho waistband of tho man opposite. . ■ . Bang!—licketty-kick, .: rickctty—bang!—. clatter!—jolt!—the train danced a polka for a few chains farther on. ■ A' .violent .lurch sent a gunner-sergeant sprawling among the boots of his bombardiers.; "If this ain't the limit, I'll— wouf!" 'A, rifle clattered out of tho •overhead rack, and lit with/a joyful thud on the small of his back. Other weapons Tattled noisily in tho racks, pitched out among the ducking heads of .their, owners, and. took knee-joints and funny-bone's en route to the floor. ; . .• Eickottj^kick^clang— .A. tortured rod -underneath the car sounded as if it had snapped in ts agony, and jmade a noisy, outcry. ... . . "Whoa, there—whoop! The biler's fcnsted," observed another "man, as he clawed the air; in a vain attempt to save himself from falling upon th.o neck of ■the man opposite. •. ■ "Euch!—" replied'that individual, as he embraced the victim, "its our last hour right enough." Then the train slowed, and drew out across the bridge, and a'peaceful calm prevailed. Tho euchre parties 'resumed.'. .Shooting secretaries ■'■.continued their statistical' records for the; press; and vari--. 'ous men proceeded to fish'out their scatrtered possessions' from under tho seats. •Also, conversation became more fluent and less, picturesque. ' .. "One"of these days," said a prophetic ■voice, "this train will, jump, the track■altogether—and there'll we bef"

"I've seen her jump and perform over that bit of line pretty good .before., on 'this train, but this is ab-so-lqotly the iLIMIT!" remarked his neighbour. "If" —he continued in. a threatening manner, .'"{his performance is goin' to be repeated, I'm off it." The plain English of all this is that the Toluntecr special- has a habit of rocking pretty: violently on occasions when negotiating the curves approaching the Silverstream Bridge, but on Saturday it outdid all previous performances. So violent was the swaying, jolting, clattering, lurching, and general .commotion 'that in several of the . cars, there -i prevailed ■.. a; state of genuine; alarm': -; Rifles were* precipitated' from the racks, men were pitched-in all directions. The general feeling'was that the; .train - was being taken along at a risky pace, for that particular portion of the'.sline,. ■ and ; .that eooner or later more. serious might conceivably happen if a steadier gait is not adopted.