While waiting for Passepartout to arrive from Baltimore with the Aurora, Jules, Rebecca, and Phileas pass the time aboard the gambling boat, the Memphis Belle; Phileas by gambling and Jules and Rebecca by socializing with a newspaperman, Sam Clemens. They meet up, also, with a group of ex-Confederate soldiers, including Frank and Jesse James, bent on a life of crime who steal the Aurora and kidnap Passepartout. Using alcohol and a fantastic story about "Steeley Joe", Passepartout is able to escape from the gang and find refuge in the town of Apache Wells. Meanwhile, Jules, Rebecca, Phileas, and Sam Clemens also arrive in Apache Wells and with the help of the local saloonkeeper, Miss Lily, and their own version of "Steeley Joe," they are able to thwart the menacing group of bandits and return Apache Wells to a peaceable town.