They imagined that they could hear
each other's hearts beat, so tense was the silence.
He turned halfway around to glance at the boys.
"Is it anything serious?" asked Ned in a strained voice.
"I hope not. I can't tell you just yet. We shall know in a minute...
Well, send some one for him," he snapped, answering something the man
at the other end of the line had said to him. "Hello, hello! That
you, Bob? Did Acomb tell you of our predicament? Yes. What I wanted
to say was don't for goodness' sake send out the red car while the
line is blocked."
"The red car," repeated Ned and Tad in one voice. Neither knew what
it meant, but impressed them just the same.
"What, gone? gone?" groaned Phipps. "Are you sure? How long ago?
Ten minutes? Shut off the current! Quick! I hope so."
The assistant superintendent hung up the telephone deliberately and
turned toward them.
The boys observed that his face was white and drawn.
"What, what is it?" asked Tad.
"There's a car of dynamite coming through the tunnel on the number two
track," announced the young engineer calmly, thrusting both hands deep
into his trousers pockets.
CHAPTER XXI
IMPRISONED IN A MINE
"That--that's the track that the empty cars go back on, is it not?"
asked Tad, after an interval of tense silence.
"Yes."
"The wreck was on the other track.
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