bandits imagined they had a narrow escape from death, although the
fact was they had been in no danger at all of being shot from their
horses.

Our friends burst out laughing.

"Badly scared," said Jack.

"Oh, Lord, wot cowards!" Tim chuckled.

"Ain't they likely to return to the James Boys?" asked the sheriff.

"Dot vas more as likely," agreed Fritz. "If dem vas der Chames Poys'
horses vunct, dey vill back by deir owners go, don't it?"

Jack peered around.

At some distance off to the south was a forest.

He caught view of both horses plunging into it.

"That settles our pursuit of them!" he exclaimed, in disgust. "We can't
follow them among those trees, and as they seem to realize it, they've
taken advantage of the timberland."

"We might keep a watch upon the woods anyway," suggested Timberlake.
"They are bound to come out somewhere sooner or later. If we can get
upon their track we may yet force them to lead us to the bandits'
rendezvous."

"It won't hurt to follow the plan," assented Jack; "for we haven't the
remotest idea where to look for the villains."

He thereupon steered the Terror toward the trees, and as Fritz was a
good cook and had charge of the culinary arrangements, he set about
getting their supper ready.

It was a waste of time to guard the forest.

Several days passed by and nothing was seen of the two men.

They had gone straight through the timberland at a gallop, and emerging
on the other side, rode rapidly away.

Jack and his friends had therefore been watching and hunting for a mere
phantom, as it were.

The young inventor quickly arrived at this conclusion, and on the
evening of the third day he said to Tim:

"It's my opinion that there isn't anyone at all in the woods, and I'm
going to give up the watch and move on."

"Ay, ay, that's ther bes' plan. I quite agree wi' yer, lad."

"Those fellows would not be foolish enough to remain in that forest all
this time for nothing."

"If they wuz thar, I'm mighty sure as we'd a sighted somethin' o' them
long afore this, my hearty. I recollect when I wuz in ther navy how I
wuz once fooled this way. Yer see we'd been chasin' one o' ther enemy's
ships, an' drove her into a lagoon. Thar we pounded her with our guns,
an' ther crew desarted her, an' went ashore. We sunk ther ship, an'
mannin' ther boats, we pulled ashore arter ther crew. We found ther
shore lined with cliffs a thousand feet high. Thar wus no coast, that
water beat