TURTLE EGGS FOR AGASSIZ 



109 





of steam, with the intention of handing me over 

 to the Boston police, as perhaps the safest way of 

 disposing of me. 



" I was only afraid that they would try it at the 

 next station. But that station whizzed past without 

 a bit of slack, and the next, and the next ; when it 

 came over me that this was the through freight, 

 which should have passed in the night, and was 

 making up lost time. 



" Only the fear of the shovel and the wrench kept 

 me from shaking hands with both men at this dis- 

 covery. But I beamed at them ; and they at me. I 

 was enjoying it. The unwonted jar beneath my feet 

 was wrinkling my diaphragm with spasms of delight. 

 And the fireman beamed at the engineer, with a look 

 that said, ' See the lunatic grin ; he likes it ! ' 



" He. did like it. How the iron wheels sang to me 

 as they took the rails ! How the rushing wind in my 

 ears sang to me ! From my stand on the fireman's 

 side of the cab I could catch a glimpse of the track 

 just ahead of the engine, where the ties seemed to 

 leap into the throat of the mile-devouring monster. 

 The joy of it ! of seeing space swallowed by the 

 mile ! 



" I shifted the eggs from hand to hand and thought 

 of my horse, of Agassiz, of the great book, of my 

 great luck, luck, luck, until the multitudi- 

 nous tongues of the thundering train were all chim- 

 ing Muck! luck! luck!' They knew! they under- 



