away from here. It wouldn't be a pleasant experience for us to meet
with, eh, fellows?" asked Will, who was known to have a timid streak in
his make-up.

"Talk to me about your croakers!" jeered Jerry. "Will, here, is enough
to freeze the marrow in one's bones. There isn't one chance in a
thousand that such an adventure will come our way, and he knows it."

"Goodness! What a jar! The engineer must have thrown the air brakes on
then in a big hurry! We're coming to a sudden stop, too! Oh! I wonder if
anything can have happened? Are we going to have an accident, fellows?"
cried Will.

With much creaking of the wheels the heavy train came to a stop, and at
the same moment the four chums, listening with considerable
apprehension, caught the sound of many loud and excited voices just
outside the car.




CHAPTER VI

AT THE VALLEY RANCH


"Listen!" exclaimed Frank, holding up his hand.

"Talk to me about your Tower of Babel! It wasn't in the same class as
that row. Twenty men trying to talk all at once!" growled Jerry,