The river bridge was a serious matter with its
icy coat, and danger of specials, and the torches suddenly flashed
out from all sides; and the Thread Man gave thanks for Dannie
Macnoun, who reached him a steady hand across the ties. The walk
was three miles, and the railroad lay at from twenty to thirty feet
elevation along the river and through the bottom land. The Boston
man would have been thankful for the light, but as the last man
stepped from the ties of the bridge all the torches went out save
one. Jimmy explained they simply had to save them so that they could
see where the coon fell when they began to shake the coon tree.
Just beside the water tank, and where the embankment was twenty
feet sheer, Jimmy was cautioning the Boston man to look out, when
the hunter next behind him gave a wild yell and plunged into his
back. Jimmy's grab for him seemed more a push than a pull, and the
three rolled to the bottom, and half way across the flooded ditch.
The ditch was frozen over, but they were shaken, and smothered in
snow. The whole howling party came streaming down the embankment.
Dannie held aloft his torch and discovered Jimmy lying face down in
a drift, making no effort to rise, and the Thread Man feebly tugging
at him and imploring some one to come and help get Malone out. Then
Dannie slunk behind the others and yelled until he was tired.
By and by Jimmy allowed himself to be dragged out.
"Who the thunder was that come buttin' into us?" he blustered.
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