12.  I looked at the window, and found that we were dashing along at a speed never before traveled on that road.  Posts, fences, rocks, and trees flew by in one undistinguished mass, and the carriages now swayed fearfully.  I started to my feet, and met a passenger on the platform.  He was one of the chief owners of our road, and was just on his way to Berlin.  He was pale and excited.

13.  “Sir,” he gasped, “is Martin Kroller on the engine?”

“Yes,” I told him.

“What! didn’t you know him?”

“Know?” I repeated, somewhat puzzled; “what do you mean?  He told me his name was Kroller, and that he was an engineer.  We had no one to run the engine, and—­”

“You took him!” interrupted the man.  “Good heavens, sir, he is as crazy as a man can be!  He turned his brain over a new plan for applying steam power.  I saw him at the station, but did not fully recognize him, as I was in a hurry.  Just now one of your passengers told me that your engineers were all gone this morning, and that you found one that was a stranger to you.  Then I knew the man whom I had seen was Martin Kroller.  He had escaped from the hospital at Stettin.  You must get him off somehow.”

14.  The whole fearful truth was now open to me.  The speed of the train was increasing every moment, and I knew that a few more miles per hour would launch us all into destruction.  I called to the guard and then made my way forward as quickly as possible.  I reached the back platform of the tender, and there stood Kroller upon the engine board, his hat and coat off, his long black hair floating wildly in the wind, his shirt unbuttoned at the front, his sleeves rolled up, with a pistol in his teeth, and thus glaring upon the fireman, who lay motionless upon the fuel.  The furnace was stuffed till the very latch of the door was red-hot, and the whole engine was quivering and swaying as though it would shiver to pieces.

15.  “Kroller!  Kroller’!” I cried, at the top of my voice.  The crazy engineer started, and caught the pistol in his hand.  Oh, how those great black eyes glared, and how ghastly and frightful the face looked!

“Ha! ha! ha!” he yelled demoniacally, glaring upon me like a roused lion.

“They said that I could not make it!  But see! see!  See my new power!  See my new engine!  I made it, and they are jealous of me!  I made it, and when it was done, they stole it from me.  But I have found it!  For years I have been wandering in search of my great engine, and they said it was not made.  But I have found it!  I knew it this morning when I saw it at Dantzic, and I was determined to have it.  And I’ve got it!  Ho! ho! ho! we’re on the way to the moon, I say!  We’ll be in the moon in four and twenty hours.  Down, down, villain!  If you move, I’ll shoot you.”

This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.