Engrossed in contemplation of the distant crater Barney and Frank had not heeded things in the near vicinity.

But Pomp, chancing to glance up the mountain side, saw a thrilling sight.

High up above their position was a mighty bowlder of many tons weight.

And back of it he saw the forms of several men.

They were trying hard to start the huge bowlder from its place. Their purpose was quite plain.

The bowlder started on its career down the mountain, unless swerved in its course, would strike the Steam Man.

If struck by the tremendous weight little would be left of the machine.

“Golly sakes, Marse Frank!” cried Pomp, in utter horror. “Jus’ yo’ see dat trick of de greasers.”

Frank did see it and for a moment was overwhelmed with horror.

Then he acted quickly.

“Give them a shot, boys!” he cried to Barney and Pomp, as he sprung to the dasher of the wagon.

The two servitors quickly obeyed.

The big stone was just tottering as their rifles cracked.

Several of the greasers were exposed and two of them fell.

Crack—ack!

Again the rifles spoke.

This time two more fell. But the big bowlder was coming.

Frank meanwhile had seized the brake and turned the Steam Man’s course to the right.

He was not a moment too soon.

Down came the big stone like a whirlwind. The Steam Man escaped by the merest hair’s breadth.

The stone passed so close to the cage that the wind nearly took Barney’s breath away, he being on that side.

“Whurroo!” yelled the Irishman. “I niver see the bate av’ that. Jist about the toime the stone got here shure it looked to be the soize av’ a mountain.”

“Golly, youse right dar, I’ish,” cried Pomp.

But Frank had started the Steam Man right up the mountain side.

It was his purpose to rout the greasers out of their position.

But when he reached the spot they were not in sight.

They had disappeared over the other side of the mountain. As this was heavily wooded pursuit was out of the question.

The voyagers were much disappointed that they could not have driven the greasers to decisive battle.

The wily rascals, however, well knew that the result would be serious for them and acted accordingly.

The Steam Man now was upon the tip of the mountain spur.

A fine view was to be had of the whole mountain range.

They could now almost look down upon the greasers’ stronghold.

The tall derricks used in excavating the mine shaft were to be plainly seen, and smoke rising above the trees suggested the presence of a steam engine of the stationary kind.

“It is evident that there lies the gold claim which rightfully belongs to Harvey Montaine,” mused Frank. “I can understand now Senor Ravello’s assertion that the position of the greasers was unassailable. Indeed, with a handful of men a small army could be held at bay here.”

This had certainly the appearance of a logical fact.

One thing was sure, the greasers had guarded the approaches to their mine well and strongly.

Frank gazed reflectively at the distant camp and thought of Harvey Montaine presumably a prisoner there.

“We must effect his rescue in some manner,” he muttered. “But how?”

Frank took a careful survey of the valley and the hills but he could see no way of reaching the greasers’ camp.

Yet he felt sure that there was a way. How to find this was the problem.

However, nothing was to be gained by remaining in his present position.

It was plainly impossible to effect an entrance by that side of the mountain.

“What am we gwine to do, Marse Frank?” asked Pomp, after a time.

“Indeed, that is a hard question for me to answer,” declared Frank.

“Bejabers, I think the best thing we kin do at all, at all, is to go back the way we cum,” declared Barney.

Frank nodded his head.

“I declare, I believe you are right, Barney,” he said. “Well, so be it.”

The Steam Man was turned about and started down the mountain.

They had not proceeded more than one hundred yards, when the patter of bullets came against the cage.

Looking back, the travelers saw that the top of the mountain was covered with the greasers.

They had been in secure hiding near by all the while.

Had any of the travelers ventured to leave the cage while on the mountain, they would have been shot down instantly.

Barney and Pomp returned the fire with telling effect.

The bullets rattled against the impervious steel netting of the cage in a shower.

The greasers made the air ring with their defiant yells and cries.

But Frank kept on to the foot of the mountain.

A little while later the Steam Man was speeding over the plain.

The greasers did not pursue them.

They remained upon the mountain and were quickly lost to view.

Frank kept the Steam Man on a westerly course.

He had decided to cross to the opposite wall of the mountain range, with the hope of finding an entrance there.

In order to do this it was necessary to make a wide detour of fully forty miles.

But this was not much of a run for the Steam Man.

Frank pushed along at the steady rate of twenty miles per hour.

It was just sunset when the upper spur of the Los Pueblos range was rounded.

Then a trail was encountered.

It was broad and well beaten, and gave evidence of being much used.

Where it led to Frank could only guess, but he took it, as it led in the direction he wished to follow.

But before he had followed it far, a sharp cry escaped Pomp’s lips.

“Look yender, Marse Frank! Whateber am dat?”

Frank looked in the direction indicated and experienced a thrill.

A long fringe of willows and sycamores marked the course of a stream not two miles distant.

In the verge of the sycamores smoke arose in twirling columns, evidence of a camp-fire.

Also forms could be seen moving about, and horses were seen to be grazing upon the plain.

“It is a camp,” declared Frank, “but whether friend or foe I know not.”

“Golly!” exclaimed Pomp, “does yo’ s’pose it am dose people cum back agin wid Silver Sam?”

“It is not impossible,” replied Frank, “and yet—look sharp, boys! Does not that look like Bill Guernsey’s stage?”

Barney and Pomp both indulged in sharp cries.

“Dat’s what it am, Marse Frank.”

“Bejabers, that’s so.”

Frank at once sent the Steam Man forward at full speed.

Quick time was made across the plain for that two miles.

As they drew nearer the camp it was easy to see that it was the same party of prospectors under Silver Sam, only this time they were heavily reinforced.

Fully a hundred men of all types were gathered in the sycamore grove.

There were half-breeds and Texans, Irishmen, Frenchmen and Americans, all in a conglomerated mass. But there was not a greaser among them.

They were all men from various walks of life come West to seek a fortune in the mines.

As the Steam Man came up the tall form of Silver Sam was seen advancing.

The sport was evidently overjoyed to meet Frank again.

“Hello, friend!” he cried, cheerily. “Condemned glad to see ye! We’re back agin, ye see, and we’ve got more men this time. We mean to paralyze those greasers or lose our scalps.”

“I am glad to see you,” said Frank, coming out of the cage. “Indeed, it looks as if you meant business.”

“Yes, there’s a hundred of us more or less. They say Costello has three times as many, but our boys mean business and ain’t goin’ to be backed down by greasers, you can bet.”

“That’s the talk, pard!” cried big Diamond Jake, as he came forward and shook hands with Frank.

“But we want to extend our thanks to ye for covering our retreat so nobly the other day,” declared Silver Sam. “By Jericho! if it hadn’t been for you we’d have been salted sure by them pizen greasers.”

“If they will only attack the Steam Man in the open,” said Frank, with a smile, “I think I can handle them easily.”

“You bet! That’s a wonderful machine you’ve got, friend. Wall, have you learned any news?”

Frank described his trip to the top of the mountain and what he had seen therefrom.

The prospectors listened with deep interest. Then Silver Sam said:

“Well, I reckon that’s where poor Harvey Montaine is held a prisoner.”

“I presume so,” replied Frank.

“We oughter see him out of the scrape someway.”

“That is my mission here,” declared Frank.

“Good! We’ll help ye, friend, all we can. Now let’s go in and talk over a good move.”

Diamond Jake and Silver Sam led the way into a tent which was pitched on the banks of the creek.

Frank found a seat upon a stump, and then the conversation began.

“Ye see,” began Silver Sam, “we know well enough that Harvey has got a claim up there in the hills.”

“Yes!”

“But we don’t propose to meddle with his property at all. Our claim is on t’other side of the range. But we can’t work it until we have done up Costello and his gang.”

“Exactly,” agreed Frank.

“Now the question is how shall we go to work to do that?”

There was a moment’s silence. Then Diamond Jake spoke:

“I’ve a plan, pards!”

“What is it?”

“We kin split forces an’ enter the hills by two ways. The Steam Man can stay down here on the level ground. When we have driven the greasers out of the hills the Steam Man can clinch the victory.”

Diamond Jake’s words were not without a good impression upon the listeners. But before they could be commented upon an uproar arose from without. All sprang up and rushed to the door of the tent.