can't clear it, said Tim.
"Vell, he vos got der nerve ter dry!" Fritz exclaimed.
"He's bound to go down!" cried Timberlake, excitedly.
"If he does, he may perish!" said the inventor. "The man must befearfully desperate to attempt the jump."
"Gief him a hall vunct."
"Hey, Frank James!" called Jack.
The man looked back, but did not answer.
He did not look in the least unnerved by the terrible ordeal.
Jack could not help admiring his courage.
He hailed him again from sheer pity.
"Halt there, you madman, you are committing suicide.
"You'll not nab me!" came back the defiant reply.
"Pause--quick! We'll spare you."
"Never! Good-bye! Now, Jim, up, boy, up!"
The gallant horse seemed to gather every muscle to a high tension whenhe reached the verge of the chasm.
He bounded high in the air.
For an instant the horse and rider were poised there.
It was a brave effort.
But it failed.
Three-fourths of the distance was covered.
Then down the animal plunged into the abyss.
As they sunk out of sight Jack whirled the wheel around and applied theair brake.
The Terror barely had time to swing around to avoid the edge of thechasm, and a cloud of dirt and dust flew up from beneath her wheels.
She quickly paused.
Jack alighted.
Going to the edge of the abyss he peered down.
It was not more than twenty feet deep.
Along the bottom flowed a wide, deep mountain stream.
Frank James and his horse had alighted in it without the slightestinjury, and Jack saw the beast swim ashore and wade out.
They had been swept some distance down the stream by the fierce current,and had got out near a wide opening in the rocks on the side oppositeJack.
"Stop where you are!" shouted Jack.
The drenched fugitive looked at him and laughed ironically.
Then he dashed ahead, for Jack had drawn a pistol, and was aiming it athim.
Just as the horse leaped into the opening in the rocks, the younginventor fired at the bandit.
The ball cut the spot Frank had just evacuated, and striking against therocks, exploded there.
Up jumped the young inventor, and he ran along until he arrived oppositethe split rocks.
But he failed to see the fugitive as Frank had gone around a bend in theopening, and was then hidden from view.
As he could not do anything there, he hastened back to the Terror,sprang aboard, and started her back the way she came from, at the sametime telling his friends what happened.
Jack made a wide detour, and passed the end of the gorge.
The stream there broadened and became so shallow that he easily drovethe stage through it.
Reaching the other side, he began a search for Frank, but it finallyproved to be in vain.
The shadows of twilight fell when he finally gave up the hunt and headedfor a tiny hamlet near where he was.
It was a place which had built up about a general store, at which thestage coach, paused which carried passengers from the northern railroadswho wished to make connections with the smaller branch lines dissectingthat portion of the state.
At this place--called Jones' Corners--there was a big surprise in storefor our friends.
It came about when Jack drove the Terror up to the store and quietlymade inquiries of the owner as to whether he had seen a man answering toFrank James' description about that vicinity that day.
The man told him he had seen such an individual.
CHAPTER XI.A SUSPECTED PLOT.
The store at which the electric stage paused was a small, dingy place,used as a grocery, a post-office, a saloon, and, in fact, half a dozendifferent kinds of business.
Its owner was a typical Missourian, in raw hide boots, his pants tuckedin the legs, a flannel shirt upon his ample body, a felt hat on his longhair, and one of his bewhiskered cheeks distended with a huge quid oftobacco.
When he had eyed the electric machine, and commented upon it at somelength, he finally said:
"Yas, neighbur, I reckon thar wuz sich erchap hyar ez you wuz quizzin meerbout. It's ergoin' on two hour ergo as he stuck his nose into this ereplace, an' ast me all erbout ther runnin' er that stage-coach from hyerter Independence."
"Asked you about the stage-coach, eh!" said Jack, his attentionparticularly attracted by this remark. "What did you tell the gentlemanabout it?"
"Why, I jist guv him ther time table all erlong its route, an', ses I,thar's ter be one erlong ter-night erbout ten er-clock from thersouth'ard, which'll stop hyar ter water ther nags. It ginerally kerriesfrom five ter ten people, yer see, an' I allers hev ter laugh when Ihears how skeered they gits while er-crossin' ther ledge down yander onthet ere spur er ther hills."
"Dangerous place?"
"Wall, I reckon it be. Hev a chaw er terbacker?"
"No, I thank you. What time does the stage leave the next town?"
"Nine o'clock--it's jist one hour difference."
"Did the gentleman inquire particularly about this stage?"
"Certain. It's ther only one wot's due fer two days."
"Did he say anything about the ledge?"
"Sure he did, an' axed me werry pertickler all about it. I waserwondsrin' wot he was erquizzin' me about so much, but reckon it wuzonly his pesky curiosity."
"Very likely," said Jack, in grim tones. "Then he rode off?"
"Yes, an' or mighty likely nag it wuz, too, which he called Jim."
"That's Jim Malone," thought Jack.
The information he received plainly showed him that Frank James intendedto rob the people of the Independence stage at the mountain ledge.
In order to do this he would very likely summon some of the gang and beat the pass at nine o'clock that night.
The storekeeper had no idea of this.
Indeed, as he did not know who Frank James was, not a suspicion of thetruth of the matter was likely to enter his mind, for the bandit led himto suppose he was anxious to travel to the northern main line on thatvehicle.
"In which direction did that man go?" asked Jack, in conclusion.
"Ter ther west'ard. But why d'yer want all or this infermation?"
"Simply became he is one of the James Boys."
"Holy--jumpin'--jingo!" gasped the man.
"He intends to rob that stage!"
"Oh, thunder! wot er big fool I wuz ter post him!"
"We will block his game. You keep mum."
"Yes kin jist bet I will!"
Jack returned aboard the Terror, and told his friends all he hadlearned, and a consultation was held.
It was then seven o'clock.
They had but little time to waste,
"Our plan to save the people in that stage coach from robbery is a verysimple one," said Jack. "We must run ahead and intercept them."
"Supposin' them 'ere lundsharks is on ther road now? They will sight usagain along ther trail," said Tim.
"We can make a detour," replied Jack. "The only place they are apt touse to waylay the coach will be along the ledge mentioned by thestorekeeper."
"Fer sure." assented Fritz, "Ach, I vish me dot ve vos fighdin' dem now!Let her gone, Shack!"
The inventor started the Terror off.
It had begun to rain.
There was every indication of a wet night.
Jack had informed himself about the roads.
Both he and Tim put on their rubber clothing and occupied the frontseat, where they managed the wheel.
A detour was made, and several miles further along they struck into thehigh road again.
"If the stage-coach in any manner resembles the Terror," said the younginventor, as they ran along, "I think I know of a way in which we cansubstitute this vehicle for it and fool the bandits, should they waylayher."
"Decoy 'e
m, eh?"
"Yes. We can easily disguise this coach."
"By hitchin' ther stage horses onter it, yer kin do it."
"I'll make the venture anyway, if I can meet the stage."
"When I wuz aboard o' ther frigate Wabash, we once played that ere trickon a pirate," said Tim. "Yer see, it happened---"
But Fritz heard him.
And produced his accordeon.
Its horrible tones rang out.
Tim stopped and was just going to expostulate, when Jack put an end tothe playing by saying:
"Stop that, Fritz!"
"But dot yarn---"
"The road agents may hear it."
That settled it; the music ceased.
It made Tim chuckle, and he said:
"Gosh blame yer fat mug, I'll spin ther
Jack Wright and His Electric Stage; Page 9
