“They must have seen us,” whispered Jack, “they’re comin’ out on the pier.” Now the boys tried to hold their breath, for the men were walking silently over their hiding-place, and not four feet above them. The three men sat down upon one of the stringers that pointed out over the water. “Hark! what’s that?” said one. “What’s what? you idiot; you’re worse ’an a two-year-old, shyin’ at a fallin’ leaf.” “I heard someon’ cough.” “It’s that chicken heart of yours hittin’ your vest. Close that fissure in your face.” “Aw, cheese it,” said the third man, “what’s on yer mind, Charley?” “A whole lot,” said the severe man, who seemed to be the captain. “The night express is the proper train, Monday night the time, and Casey Water Tank the place.” Tommy hunched Jack. “There’s always a lot of mail and express matter that accumulates here over Sunday, therefore the Monday fast express ought to be good picking.” A bareheaded woman came down to the river, looked into the boiling flood, shivered and went away, manifestly determined to make one more effort to solve the bread and butter problem. When she had passed out of hearing, the man went on: “Jim’ll go to Casey to-morrow, Sunday, and make his way to the tank. Having the only decent suit, I’ll take a sleeper for Indianapolis, but I promise you I won’t sleep. And Pete, you white-livered coyote, you’ll take the blind baggage at Greenup, so as to be on hand when the time comes.” “An’ how do we proceed?” asked Jim. “You’ll be hiding behind the tank, and when the fireman’s wrestling with the spout an’ the engineer’s watching his signals so as to place the engine, you’ll step quietly aboard, holding your gun close to the engineer, but not offensively close so as to enable him to take it away from you.” “An’ must I pint it butt fust, er nozzle fust? You know I hain’t never handled a gun afore.” “Well, if you handle it as recklessly as you handle the English language you’ll kill the man on sight. Well, to my tale: Pete will uncouple the train the moment the engineer has placed the engine and wait for me.” “An’ what’ll the great man do?” demanded Jim, who was feeling the insult to his grammar. “The great man will herd the car-hands up through the sleepers and into the day coach, where he will proceed to pacify the passengers. Having slipped into his false face he will pause with his back to the door at the rear of the car, twirl his arsenal playfully, and bid the multitude be quiet. For the further awing of those who may meditate violence he will fire three shots--bang, bang, bang--that shall come like the measured thumping of my lady’s heart, when she sees a cow. These pistol shots will be followed by the tinkling sound of falling glass, for the three glims will have been doused. And, by the same token you shall know, O, Jimmie, and you, my shivering Pete, that your uncle is doing business in the day coach.” “An’ I’ll come in wud a mail sack an’ git de watches and diamins.”