he passengers were back in the coaches, and the engineer and
stoker in the cab, every one gave Jack and his friends a parting cheer.

The train then moved ahead.

"We didn't do so blamed bad arter all," chuckled Tim.

"Did yer see me drop forty o' them pirates vi' one shot?"

"Forty?" grinned Fritz.

"Ay--that's wot I see," Tim answered, haughtily.

"Nein! Yer vos misdooken."

"How so?" growled the old sailor.

"It vos eight hundert. But dere only vos dirty in ther gang."

"Come!" interposed Jack. "Quit your fooling, and let us get back to the
stage. She's so disabled that we can't chase the bandits with her now.
The sooner she's repaired the quicker we'll be able to get upon their
trail and hunt them down."

They strode back to where they left the Terror.

Both the parrot and monkey were yelling furiously inside, and did not
cease their clamor until their owners went in and pacified them.

It required several hours to repair the driving rod, and when it was
finished, although not as strong as it was before, it was very firm.

They could not do anything further that night, so they divided the watch
and turned in.

After breakfast on the following morning, Jack mounted the steersman's
seat, and sent the Terror rolling to the place where the bandits were
last seen.

There he saw a large plain trail they had left.

"I'll follow their tracks," said he to Tim, who had taken a seat beside
him. "It's an easy trail to follow, and if we have say sort of a chance,
we are bound to run them down in a short time."

"I ain't so sure about that my lad."

"Why not?"

"Jesse James are mighty cunnin'."

"That's a fact. He may fool us yet,"

"Still thar ain't no harm in tryin'."

Jack sent the Terror flying off in pursuit of the bandits, and they ran
out on the open plain.

It was a rolling, grassy country.

The trail led them on for a distance of about five miles when an old
blasted oak tree was met.

Here the cunning of the James Boys was shown.

Evidently fearing pursuit, they had ordered the gang to scatter in every
direction, each one going to a different point of the compass.

It was then utterly impossible to follow any particular one of the gang,
and know which one it was.

Jack was rendered angry.

"See there how they've baffled us!" he cried with a frown, as he pointed
down at the scattered trails.

"Gee whiz!" groaned Tim, "they've throwed us off ther course entirely
now, Wot one'll we fo