The flakes come at you like
snowballs."
"Shan't be sorry when we tread your ancestral halls. This weather is
too-too for comfort. And don't we crawl!"
"We're rising," said Acton, "and it is uphill work. Hear the old tank
groaning?"
In fact, the train, labouring up the heavy gradient, did barely more
than crawl through the snow and wind, and the slow beat of the engine
told how hard it was even to do that. Acton added thoughtfully, "We've
quite four miles yet to the summit, and there's a chance we mayn't----"
"Mayn't what, Acton, please?" said Grim, putting down his magazine.
"Get there, Grimmy."
"To the top? Oh, rot!" said Senior.
"I can't quite remember such a crawl as this, Jack; listen how the
engine coughs."
"If we can't get to the top of the incline--what then?" asked Grim.
"Go back, I should say."
"To Lowbay?"
"Yes. But while we _do_ crawl there's no need to fret."
"That would mean goodbye for the present to your place, old man?"
"Yes. 'Twould be a horrid nuisance, wouldn't it?"
The Amorians listened anxiously to the engine toiling up the incline;
but the howling of the wind almost drowned every other sound. The pace
was still a crawl, but it was a steady one.
"Oh! she'll worry through after all," said Acton.
Hardly were the words out of his mouth when the train pulled up with a
jerk that sent Senior and Grim flying forward into the unexpectant arms
of the dozing Dick and Gus Todd. The luggage rattled out of the rack in
instantaneous response, and whilst all the fellows were staring blankly
at each other they heard the crunching of the brake, and felt that the
train had come to a dead stop.
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