"Come on! We'll go down and get the ponies while we have the chance," cried Frank, moving toward the edge of the cliff. Ere he had taken more than a few strides in the carrying out of his purpose, Jesse's voice rang out: "Hold on; don't be in such a hurry! "_If any of you show yourself on the edge of the cliff, I'll drop you in your tracks!_" In amazement those of the outlaws who had started after Frank, stopped and turned toward their leader, their surprise evident in their faces. "What's the reason we can't get the horses?" snapped the elder of the James boys. "Speak lively! You're wasting valuable time!" "It's better to waste time than our lives, isn't it?" returned his brother, with a deliberation that was exasperating to the highly wrought bandits. "You ought to know better, Frank. "I reckon Texas hit it right when he said we were surrounded!" "Then why didn't the men in the West send up a rocket?" demanded the elder of the James boys. "_Because they're on our trail!_" This statement produced a profound sensation among the bandits and quickly they plied Jesse with questions as to his reasons for making it, that is, all but Frank, who, with a sneer started toward the edge of the cliff to find out for himself, though it was eloquent testimony for his secret regard for his brother's intuition that he dropped to his belly and approached the precipice with all the caution of which he was master. Smiling as he saw this indication of alarm, Jesse addressed the others: "It's an old trick among troopers, one that will be well for you to remember in the future, when they are on a search, for the squad that's hit the trail not to answer the rocket signals of the others. "If the men they're hunting happen to see the rockets in every direction but one, they'll naturally make the move Homely suggested--ride away in the direction from which there was no signal--and fall right into the trap! "I had a close call once--before I got wise. That's how I happen to know. "How near the troopers on the west are to us, of course I can't tell. "But they're not very far off. They've hit our trail in the canyon and--" "They're right down at the foot of the cliff examining the dead campfires the Injuns left," interrupted Frank. "You doped it right, Jess, I'll have to admit." So engrossed had the others been in listening to the bandit-chieftain that they had not seen Frank as he returned from his reconnaisance, and the effect of his words, melodramatic as was the manner in which they fitted in, struck consternation to their hearts. Enjoying the sensation he had caused, the elder of the James Boys continued: "They've corralled our ponies, I could see one of the sojers leading 'em. "The moon against the walls of the cliff makes it pretty near as light as day down at the bottom." "We _are_ in a mess," grunted Bob. "Injuns on one side of us and sojers on all the others. Looks as though this top of the cliff was going to be our burying ground."