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being killed in the accident。 Which is their kind of arithmetic； which I
told you a while back as being different from ours。
〃Shucks！ Before the day was out I was to find out for myself that
that ex…conductor wasn't lying。 It was over at Duran。 I was to take my
run on the first division out to Quito； for which place I was to start next
morning … only one through train running every twenty…four hours。 It
was the afternoon of my first day； along about four o'clock； when the
boilers of the GOVERNOR HANCOCK exploded and she sank in sixty
feet of water alongside the dock。 She was the big ferry boat that carried
the railroad passengers across the river to Guayaquil。 It was a bad
accident； but it was the cause of worse that followed。 By half…past four；
big trainloads began to arrive。 It was a feast day and they'd run an
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excursion up country but of Guayaquil； and this was the crowd coming
back。
〃And the crowd … there was five thousand of them … wanted to get
ferried across； and the ferry was at the bottom of the river； which wasn't
our fault。 But by the Spiggoty arithmetic； it was。 'Kill the Gringos！'
shouts one of them。 And right there the beans were spilled。 Most of us
got away by the skin of our teeth。 I raced on the heels of the Master
Mechanic； carrying one of his babies for him； for the locomotives that was
just pulling out。 You see； way down there away from everywhere they
just got to save their locomotives in times of trouble； because； without
them； a railroad can't be run。 Half a dozen American wives and as many
children were crouching on the cab floors along with the rest of us when
we pulled out； and the Ecuadoriano soldiers； who should have been
protecting our lives and property； turned loose with their rifles and must
have given us all of a thousand rounds before we got out of range。
〃We camped up country and didn't come back to clean up until next
day。 It was some cleaning。 Every flat…car； box…car； coach； asthmatic
switch engine； and even hand…car that mob of Spiggoties had shoved off
the dock into sixty feet of water on top of the GOVERNOR HANCOCK。
They'd burnt the round house； set fire to the coal bunkers； and made a
scandal of the repair shops。 Oh； yes； and there were three of our fellows
they'd got that we had to bury mighty quick。 It's hot weather all the time
down there。〃
Julian Jones came to a full pause and over his shoulder studied the
straight…before…her gaze and forbidding expression of his wife's face。
〃I ain't forgotten the nugget；〃 he assured me。
〃Nor the hussy；〃 the little woman snapped； apparently at the mud… hens
paddling on the surface of the lagoon。
〃I've been travelling toward the nugget right along … 〃
〃There was never no reason for you to stay in that dangerous country；〃
his wife snapped in on him。
〃Now； Sarah；〃 he appealed。 〃I was working for you right along。〃 And
to me he explained： 〃The risk was big； but so was the pay。 Some months
I earned as high as five hundred gold。 And here was Sarah waiting for
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me back in Nebraska … 〃
〃An' us engaged two years；〃 she complained to the Tower of Jewels。
〃 … What of the strike； and me being blacklisted； and getting typhoid
down in Australia； and everything；〃 he went on。 〃And luck was with me
on that railroad。 Why； I saw fellows fresh from the States pass out； some
of them not a week on their first run。 If the diseases and the railroad
didn't get them； then it was the Spiggoties got them。 But it just wasn't my
fate； even that time I rode my engine down to the bottom of a forty…foot
washout。 I lost my fireman； and the conductor and the Superintendent of
Rolling Stock （who happened to be running down to Duran to meet his
bride） had their heads knifed off by the Spiggoties and paraded around on
poles。 But I lay snug as a bug under a couple of feet of tender coal； and
they thought I'd headed for tall timber … lay there a day and a night till the
excitement cooled down。 Yes； I was lucky。 The worst that happened to
me was I caught a cold once； and another time had a carbuncle。 But the
other fellows！ They died like flies； what of Yellow Jack； pneumonia； the
Spiggoties； and the railroad。 The trouble was I didn't have much chance
to pal with them。 No sooner'd I get some intimate with one of them he'd
up and die … all but a fireman named Andrews； and he went loco for keeps。
〃I made good on my job from the first； and lived in Quito in a 'dobe
house with whacking big Spanish tiles on the roof that I'd rented。 And I
never had much trouble with the Spiggoties； what of letting them sneak
free rides in the tender or on the cowcatcher。 Me throw them off？ Never！
I took notice； when Jack Harris put off a bunch of them； that I attended his
funeral MUY PRONTO … 〃
〃Speak English；〃 the little woman beside him snapped。
〃Sarah just can't bear to tolerate me speaking Spanish；〃 he apologized。
〃It gets so on her nerves that I promised not to。 Well； as I was saying； the
goose hung high and everything was going hunky…dory； and I was piling
up my wages to come north to Nebraska and marry Sarah； when I run on
to Vahna … 〃
〃The hussy！〃 Sarah hissed。
〃Now； Sarah；〃 her towering giant of a husband begged； 〃I just got to
mention her or I can't tell about the nugget。 … It was one night when I was
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taking a locomotive … no train … down to Amato； about thirty miles from
Quito。 Seth Manners was my fireman。 I was breaking him in to
engineer for himself； and I was letting him run the locomotive while I sat
up in his seat meditating about Sarah here。 I'd just got a letter from her；
begging as usual for me to come home and hinting as usual about the
dangers of an unmarried man like me running around loose in a country
full of senoritas and fandangos。 Lord！ If she could onl