“What?” Senator Daniels sputtered angrily. “What are you doing? Don’t you dare set this prisoner free! Why, I’ll not allow you to do such thing!”
Ignoring the senator, Luke held his hands out. Opening the penknife Matt stuck it in where the handcuffs closed, wedging the ratchet down so he could pull the lock arm out. He did the same thing with the other side and within a moment, Luke was free.
“That’s a good trick to know.” Luke smiled as he rubbed his wrists. The severe shaking had stopped as the heat of the stove was beginning to take effect.
“What happened, Luke? Why did we stop, do you know?” Matt asked.
“Yes, I know. At least, I’m pretty sure I know. The entire front of the train is buried under snow.”
“What do you mean
“I mean buried. You can’t even see the engine or the tender.”
“Will we be able to dig out?” Matt asked.
Luke shook his head. “I don’t see how we can. It looks like the entire mountain came down on the engine; at least two hundred feet of snow. More than likely, the engineer and fireman are dead by now.
“Oh, my God! You mean we are trapped here?” Millie Daniels cried.
“Don’t listen to a word this man says,” Daniels prompted. “Can’t you see he is merely trying to justify his escape? I don’t believe we are trapped.”
“Then why aren’t we moving?” Purvis asked.
“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask the engineer why he stopped,” Daniels answered.
Purvis stepped out of the car onto the vestibule, then leaned out so he could look toward the front. When he came back into the car, there was a look of shock on his face.
“It’s too dark to tell, but I think Shardeen is right. It sort of looks like the whole front of the train is under snow.”
“Oh! Then we
“I wouldn’t worry about it so much. I’m sure they will send another train up to get us,” Senator Daniels informed her.
At that moment the porter came into the car, the expression on his face reflecting his concern.
“Porter, this man tells us that the front of the train is buried under an avalanche of snow,” Daniels barked. “Is he correct?”
“Yes, sir, he is. And it’s worse than that,” the porter answered.
“What do you mean it is worse than that? How can it be worse?”
“This wasn’t no accident,” the porter said. “And the men that caused it are up in the dinin’ car right now. They’ve taken it over.”
“So they’ve taken over a car. What good is it going to do them if the train can’t move?” Daniels asked pointedly.
“Well sir, that’s where all the food is,” the porter said.
“If they’ve got the dining car that means we are likely to get awful hungry before this is over,” Luke added.
“What’s your name, porter?” Matt asked.
“My name is Julius, sir. Julius Kerry.”
“Julius, do you know where the conductor is?”
“Yes, sir, he’s in the car just ahead. His name is Mr. Bailey.”
“Would you please tell Mr. Bailey to come back here?”
“I’m just the porter, sir,” Julius replied. “I can’t tell the conductor anything. I can ask, but that don’t mean he’ll come back here.”
Daniels spoke quickly. “Tell him Senator Daniels has requested his presence. Do you understand that? Senator Daniels wants to speak with him.”
“Yes, sir, I can do that.” Julius left the car, then returned a moment later with the conductor.
Bailey approached Daniels. “Senator, Julius said that you wished to speak with me,”
“Mr. Bailey,” Daniels jumped right in with his complaints. “I want you to know that I will hold the Denver and Pacific, and you, personally responsible should I be unable to fulfill my speaking engagement. Furthermore, I will also hold you responsible for any harm that may befall my family.”
“I’m glad to see the welfare of your family is almost equal in concern to your speaking engagement,” Matt said dryly.
“Of course it is,” Senator Daniels answered, not perceiving the sarcasm.
“Is that why I was summoned back here?” Bailey questioned.
“It is indeed.”
“Senator, I assure you, what happened here was entirely beyond our control, and certainly beyond my control.”
“Really? Are you telling me you had no idea the pass could be blocked in with snow?”
“The latest telegraph information we had indicated the pass was clear,” the conductor replied.
“Mr. Bailey, I’m glad you came back, because I would like to speak with you as well,” Matt interrupted. “But I have no intention of making any accusations.” He glared at Senator Daniels.
“Thank you, sir. What can I do for you?”
“It is our understanding that the engine is completely buried under a lot of snow. And that armed men have freed the prisoner Santelli and are now occupying the dining car.”
“I’m afraid that is true, sir.”
“How many are on this train?” Matt asked.
“When the train left Buena Vista we had forty people on board, counting the crew,” the conductor said. “That is also counting the sheriff and his two prisoners. But the sheriff is dead, and I fear that the engineer and fireman are also dead. I don’t know about Fred, Troy, and Pete.”
“Who are they?”
“The three who work in the dining car. I haven’t heard from any of them since the train stopped, and I am afraid they may be dead as well.”
“That leaves thirty-seven people still aboard, but even if the dining car porters are still alive, no doubt they are being held by Santelli and the others so we may as well discount them. We must subtract the five bad guys, which leaves twenty-nine of us.”
“That makes it twenty-nine to five,” Daniels said, changing his tune. “We ought to prevail.”
“Are you traveling with a gun, Senator?” Matt asked.
“A gun? No, of course not. What makes you think I would be traveling with a gun?” Daniels looked at Matt, perplexed.
“You can be sure all five of the men who took this train will have guns,” Matt said. “That tilts the odds in their favor.”
“Yes, if you put it like that, I suppose I can see what you mean.” Once again, Daniels back-pedaled.
Matt took a count of the passengers in his car, all seven of them. In addition, the conductor and the porter Julius had come into the car. “There are nine in here, leaving twenty more in the other three cars. Mr. Bailey, do you know how many of the remaining passengers are men and how many are women?”
“We have three more woman passengers,” Bailey said. “There are also six more children—four girls, the oldest about eleven and two boys, both about nine. The youngest child is about five.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Even as Matt and the others were discussing the situation, five of the remaining male passengers were huddled in the first passenger car, making plans of their own. Leading the discussion was Paul Clark, a deputy city marshal from Red Cliff. “I know these kind of men. I deal with them all the time. Basically they are cowards and get their way by bluffing. If we go into the dining car armed, like as not they won’t even put up a fight. And if they do, we’ll have the advantage of surprise.”
