The farther I went, the worse I found it; the main mischief bein' a
leak about midway in the culvert, on the down side; whereby the
water, perc'latin' through, was unpackin' the soil, not only behind
the masonry of the culvert, but right away down for twenty yards and
more behind the stone-facing where the line runs alongside the pool.
All this we were forced to take down, shorein' as we went, till we
cut back pretty close to the rails. The job, you see, had turned out
more serious than reported; and havin' no one to consult, I kept the
men at it.
"By Wednesday noon we had cut back so far as we needed, shorein' very
careful as we went, and the men workin' away cheerful, with the
footboards of the expresses whizzin' by close over their heads, so's
it felt like havin' your hair brushed by machinery. By the time we
knocked off for dinner I felt pretty easy in mind, knowin' we'd broke
the back o' the job.
"Well, we touched pipe and started again. Bein' so close to the line
I'd posted a fella with a flag--Bill Martin it was--to keep a look
out for the down-trains; an' about three o'clock or a little after he
whistled one comin'.
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