The engineer crowded on steam.
"He's a game enough sport!" chuckled Fred.
"He's a fool!" grinned Will.
He was both, but he never flinched.

He struck the cow-catcher head-on and tried to lift it sky-high.

The speed and weight of the engine sent him rolling over and over off the track, and the shock of the blow came backward along the train in thunderclaps as each car felt the check.
The engineer whistled him a requiem and a cheer went up from fifty heads thrust out of windows.

But he was not nearly done for.
He got up, spun around like a polo pony to face the train, deliberately picked out level going, and charged again.

This time he hit the car we were in, and screams from the compartment behind us gave notice that Lady Saffren Waldon's maid was awake and looking through a window too.
He hit the running-board beside the car, crumpled it to matchwood, lifted the car an inch off the track, but failed to disrail us.