From the body of the traveller, the stolen belt passed to the big masked robber, who weighed the prize complacently. The belt contained pockets stuffed with gold and bank notes. The two robbers then moved away toward the further end of the carriage. Fandor, furious at being tricked like the simplest of greenhorns, determined to seize the occasion to give the alarm. The emergency bell was immediately above the pale-faced collegian. With a bound the journalist sprang for it, but fell back with a loud cry as he felt a sharp pain in his hand. The collegian had leaped up and cruelly bitten his finger. So great was the pain that Fandor swooned for a few seconds, and that gave his assailant time to cross the compartment and reach the corridor. At this moment the express slackened its speed and slowly came to a standstill. "Is it too high to jump?" Fandor knew the voice: it was Josephine's. "No," answered some one. "Let yourself go. I'll catch you." The sound of heavy shoes on the footboard told him that the robbers were making off. Josephine went with them, so she was their accomplice. The journalist sprang into the corridor to rush in pursuit. But he recoiled. A shot rang out, the glass fell broken before him, and a bullet flattened above his head in the woodwork. It now seemed to him that the train was gradually gathering way again. Fandor put his head through the broken glass and searched the darkness outside. "Ah!" he cried in amazement. There was no longer a train on the track, or rather, the main body of the train was vanishing in the distance, while the carriage in which he was and the rear baggage car had pulled up. Apparently the robbers had broken the couplings. At the moment, the stout man, having quite recovered, drew near Fandor and observed the situation. "Why, we're backing! We're backing!" he bellowed with alarm. "Naturally, we're going down a slope," calmly replied Fandor. The other groaned and wrung his hands. "It's appalling! The Simplon express is only twelve minutes behind us!" Fandor now realized the frightful danger. Without delay he made for the carriage door, ready to jump and risk breaking his bones rather than face the terrible crash which seemed inevitable. But before he could make up his mind to the leap, a grinding noise became audible. The guard in the baggage car had applied the Westinghouse brakes and in a few minutes they came to a stop. Fandor and the stout gentleman sprang frantically out of the carriage, and two brakemen jumped from the baggage car, crying: "Get away! Save yourselves!"