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Kyne, Peter B. (Peter Bernard), 1880-1957

"The Valley of the Giants"

I have one that
is driven with a small gasolene engine--I use it in running back and
forth to the logging-camp in case I fail to connect with a log-
train."
"But how do you know they will put up at your camp all night, Bryce?"
"My men will make them comfortable, and it means they can lie abed
until seven o'clock instead of having to roll out at five o'clock,
which would be the case if they spent the night at this end of the
line. If they do not stay at our logging-camp, the mogul will stay
there, provided my woods-foreman lends them my velocipede. The
fireman would prefer that to firing that big mogul all the way back
to Sequoia."
"Yes," Buck agreed, "I think he would."
"There is a slight grade at our log-landing. I know that, because the
air leaked out of the brakes on a log-train I was on a short time
ago, and the train ran away with me. Now, the engine-crew will set
the airbrakes on the mogul and leave her with steam up to throb all
night; they'll not blow her down, for that would mean work firing her
in the morning. Our task, Buck, will be to throw off the airbrakes
and let her glide silently out of our log-landing. About a mile down
the road we'll stop, get up steam, run down to the junction with the
main line, back in on the Laurel Creek spur, couple on to those flat-
cars and breeze merrily down to Sequoia with them.


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