.

"Stung," groaned Tom disgustedly.

"And our pistols in our bags," growled Dick.

Bert's mind had been working like lightning. He was always at his best
when danger threatened. Now his body grew taut and his eyes gleamed.

"Be ready, you fellows," he said in low tones, scarcely moving his lips.
"Dick, back me up when I make a move. Tom, got that paperweight handy?"

"Right alongside on the window ledge," muttered Tom.

Still keeping his eyes in an innocent stare on the outlaw captain, Bert
murmured a few words. They caught his meaning on the instant and were
ready.

The man with the hat was getting nearer. There had been no sign of
resistance and the leader relaxed his caution ever so slightly. This
was easier than they had dared to hope.

The sombrero was sagging now with the unwilling wealth poured into it,
and the collector, relying on the vigilance of his companion, was
compelled to use both hands to keep the contents from spilling on the
floor.

He held it out in front of Bert and Dick.

"Your turn now," he snarled. "Fork over."

They lowered their hands as though to get out their money. Then something
happened.

Like a flash, Dick grabbed the pistol hand of the collector, while Bert's
fist shot up in a tremendous smashing uppercut. The man staggered back,
and Bert and Dick were on him like a pair of wildcats.

At the same instant, with all the power of his trained baseball arm, Tom
had hurled the heavy paperweight straight at the outlaw captain. It
caught him full between the eyes. His pistol fell from his hand, going
off as it did so, and he crumpled up and went down to the floor in a
heap.

It was all over in a second. The whole thing had been so perfectly timed,
brain and hand had worked in such absolute unison that disaster had come
on the outlaws like a bolt from the blue. It was "team work" of the
finest kind.

The first surprise over, the other men in the car came crowding to the
assistance of the chief actors in the scrimmage. But the danger was past.
The leader was unconscious, and the other, badly beaten and cursing
horribly, was helpless in the grasp of the victors. Train men, rushing
in, took charge of the prisoners and trussed them up securely.

A posse was hastily organized among the passengers and, heavily armed,
swarmed from the train in quest of the two remaining members of the band,
who had been left to guard the engineer and fireman. The miscreants saw
them coming, however