"I'll give them a little of their own game!" grinned Jim as he picked up a couple of stones on the seat opposite, and he leaned out of the window of the door, sending a stone at the group with accuracy and precision. "Look at the guy!" they yelled; "paste him in the head." To their surprise Jim did not duck back at their return volley but fended off a couple of the shots with his forearm, and one he caught with his right hand as though it were a baseball, and hurled it back with a snappy, short arm throw that caught the thrower squarely on the thigh. "Hurrah for you, fellar!" yelled the crowd. Jim acknowledged the salute with a graceful wave of his hand. "Catching 'em Bill!" he yelled up at the driver. "Gained half a block on 'em!" cried Bill with enthusiasm. Jim could just make out a dark blur in the fog ahead where the pursued hack was galloping to some unknown destination. At the sight all the fierce excitement of the chase came over Jim. He must not let that Mexican escape this time. It meant everything to get a hold of him. He would recover his treasure belt, whose loss was not only a serious blow to his present plans, but an injury to his natural pride and confidence in himself. He could imagine his brother Tom saying: "Ought to have had me along, Jim; you are too innocent to travel alone." Hearing the voice of his comrade, Jim drew in his head. "Catch a sight of the black pirate craft?" inquired the engineer. "Dead ahead, and a smooth sea, sir," replied Jim touching his hat. "Glad to be off the pebbles anyway, Captain," returned the engineer; "it may aid digestion, but it is doocid hard on old bones, like mine." "I'm going upon deck with the pilot," said Jim. "I can't stay below here while that fellow is within hail." "Natural feeling, Jim," agreed the engineer, "but you will have to have the Jehu up there slow down." "Can't afford to lose the time," declared Jim. "I can reach the forward step and make it all right." "Risky," said the engineer, "but that fact won't stop you." He was correct, it did not, and the driver almost fell off his box in astonishment when he saw Jim's head at his elbow. "Hey! what's this!" he yelled, as he clubbed his whip to strike. "Oh! it's you is it, Mister," he changed his tone when he saw who it was. "By thunder! I thought I was to be kilt." "I'll sit in front here, Bill," said Jim genially. "I want to keep an eye open to see that that greaser don't give us the slip." "He's there in that hack yet," assured the driver; "he hain't had a chance to jump out yit." "They ain't pulling ahead are they?" inquired Jim, anxiously. "Holding 'em level going down this hill," replied the driver. "My horse is a leetle heavy for a down grade, but you will see something different when we are going up hill or on the flat." "I believe you," said Jim heartily; "that horse of yours is a good one." "Paid five hundred for him, he ought to be," declared his owner proudly.