Hopalong wheeled and crouched, watching the door, and it was not long before a masked face appeared on the farther side of the glass. Hopalong fired and a splotch of red stained the white mask as the robber fell against the door and slid to the platform.
"Hear that shooting?" cried the brakeman. "They 're at the messenger. They 'll blow him up!"
"Come on, fellers!" cried Hopalong, leaping toward the door, closely followed by his friends.
They stepped over the obstruction on the platform and jumped to the ground on the side of the car farthest from the robbers.
"Shoot under the cars for legs," whispered Skinny. "That 'll bring 'em down where we can get 'em."
"Which is a good idea," replied Red, dropping quickly and looking under the car.
"Somebody's going to be surprised, all right," exulted Hopalong.
The firing on the other side of the train was heavy, being for the purpose of terrifying the
