Finding that her entreaties were of no avail, the girl insisted upon their taking lunch with them and after Jesse had showed her about some medicines he left for the sick woman, with many expressions of her gratitude for their surprising generosity, Daisy watched them till they were lost in the darkness of the night. For several rods the two outlaws walked on in silence, then the chief exclaimed: "I sure am glad we happened to strike that house." Attributing the statement to his sympathetic nature, Jim praised his bounty. But when they rejoined Cole and John, he was made aware that it was prompted by other causes as well. "The old curmudgeon sent back the mortgage, cancelled," announced Jesse excitedly. "I've thrown a jolt into old Hiram that he won't forget till his dying day. _Now for the other Rozier!_ Come on. We must be in Ste. Genevieve day after tomorrow." Realizing that the task would mean hard riding, the bandits lost no time in getting under way, passing through the town that Jesse might point out where the lion he had "bearded in his den" lived, to his fellows. Twice during the night, the desperadoes were startled by the sound of rapid hoof-beats and reined into the bushes at the side of the road to discover who was riding so late. The first one proved to be a solitary horseman coming from the direction in which they were going, but the second caused them deep concern. Five men, with rifles carried across their saddle pommels, ready for instant use, dashed along the highway, bound eastward as were the bandits. Never uttering a word, the men leaned forward the better to penetrate the darkness ahead. "Do you suppose they're after us or are they just out on a little game of their own?" whispered Jim as the hoof-beats died away in the distance. "Goodness only knows," returned the world-famous desperado. "They mean business, whoever they are. Just keep your ears open." Fearing an ambush, the outlaws rode with the utmost caution, carefully examining any dark places along the highway before they entered. The possibility that they were officers sent out by Hiram Rozier was discussed but no decision could they come to and it was with feelings of relief that they watched the day dawn. Pausing in a dense copse for breakfast, they devoured the lunch provided by Daisy and took turns at sleeping till about ten o'clock when they once more took up their course. Riding in the shelter of the woods, the outlaws covered many miles before sundown when they again rested. Forced to be content with smoking their pipes and tightening their belts in lieu of supper, they stopped only long enough to feed their mounts, then entered upon the final stage of their cross-state dash. In contrast to the two previous nights, the moon rose clear, enabling them the better to see the roadway and thus make faster time. No untoward incidents occurred. Not a traveller did they meet and at six o'clock in the morning they rode into Ste. Genevieve.