The rails which they had taken up last they took off with
them--besides throwing out cross-ties upon the track
occasionally--hoping thereby the more surely to impede the
pursuit; but all this was like tow to the touch of fire to
the now thoroughly-aroused, excited, and eager pursuers.
These men, though so much excited, and influenced by so much
determination, still retained their well-known caution, were
looking out for this danger, and discovered it, and though
it was seemingly an insuperable obstacle to their making any
headway in pursuit, was quickly overcome by the genius of
Fuller and Murphy. Coming to where the rails were torn up,
they stopped, tore up rails behind them, and laid them down
before, till they had passed over that obstacle. When the
cross-ties were reached, they hauled to and threw them off,
and thus proceeded, and under these difficulties gained on
the frightened fugitives. At Dalton they halted a moment.
Fuller put off the telegraph operator, with instructions to
telegraph to Chattanooga to have them stopped, in case he
should fail to overhaul them.

Fuller pressed on in hot chase--sometimes in sight--as much
to prevent their cutting the wires before the message could
be sent, as to catch them. The daring adventurers stopped
just opposite and very near to where Colonel Glenn's
regiment is encamped, and cut the wires; but the operator at
Dalton _had put the message through about two minutes
before_. They also again tore up the track, cut down a
telegraph pole, and placed the two ends of it under the
cross-ties, and the middle over the rail on the track. The
pursuers stopped again, and got over this impediment in the
same manner they did before--taking up the rails behind, and
laying them down before. Once over this, they shot on, and
passed through the great tunnel at Tunnel Hill, being there
only five minutes behind. The fugitives, thus finding
themselves closely pursued, uncoupled two of the box-cars
from the engine, to impede the progress of the pursuers.
Fuller hastily coupled them to the front of his engine, and
pushed them ahead of him, to the first turn-out or siding,
where they were left, thus preventing the collision the
adventurers intended.

Thus the engine-thieves passed Ringgold, where they