On the day of the big event, many people came to Big Bend Mountain to watch. John Henry and the salesman stood side by side. Even early in the day, the sun was burning hot. The contest began. John Henry kissed his hammer and started working. At first, the steam-powered drill worked two times faster than he did. Then he started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. Inside the mountain, the heat and dust were so thick that most men would have had trouble breathing. The crowd shouted as clouds of dust came from inside the mountain. The salesman was afraid when he heard what sounded like the mountain breaking. However, it was only the sound of John Henry at work. Polly Ann and her son cheered when the machine was pulled from the tunnel. It had broken down. Polly Ann urged John Henry to come out. But he kept working, faster and faster. He dug deep into the darkness, hitting the steel so hard that his body began to fail him. He became weak, and his heart burst. John Henry fell to the ground. There was a terrible silence. Polly Ann did not move because she knew what happened. John Henry’s blood spilled over the ground. But he still held one of the hammers. «I beat them,» he said. His wife cried out, «Don’t go, John Henry.» «Bring me a cool drink of water,» he said. Then he took his last breath. Friends carried his body from the mountain. They buried him near the house where he was born. Crowds went there after they heard about John Henry’s death. Soon, the steam drill and other machines replaced the steel-drivers. Many workers left their families, looking for work. They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sang about John Henry.