by Old scout
about it now, boys. I reckon we'll think about thesupper. Hurry up, Wing. Just get a little move on you."
"Allee light, Misler Wild," answered the cook, smilingly. "Me havee, umsupper leady allee samee pletty quickee, so be."
"Me helpee my blother," spoke up Hop, grinning. "He allee samee vellymuchee slow."
"Me no slow," retorted Wing; "me allee light."
"There!" interposed Wild. "Don't get in a wrangle over it. Hurry thesupper along, that's all."
The two Celestials said no more, but both worked away as fast as theycould.
It was not long before the supper was cooked, and then all hands didfall justice to it.
"Now, boys," said Wild, as he finished eating, "I reckon a good cigarwouldn't go bad, so we will go over to the saloon and buy some. Thegirls will be all right here, since we won't hardly be out of sight ofthem. Come on!"
The three soon took their departure, and they had scarcely done so whenHop, the clever Chinaman, sneaked around a clump of trees and took acourse that would fetch him around to the rear of the saloon.
It was hard to keep him away from such places, for he loved gambling andpractical joking, not to speak of "tanglefoot," to such a degree that hecould not be held back.
CHAPTER III.
THE OUTLAWS OF FORBIDDEN PASS.
The three cowboys were just getting ready to leave when Young Wild Westand his two partners reached the saloon.
They had loaded up pretty well with "tanglefoot," and they were doingsome very loud talking.
But when they saw the young deadshot they became suddenly silent.
"Hello!" called out Wild, speaking in his cool and easy way. "So you aregoing back to the ranch, eh?"
"Yes," answered the one he had handled so roughly. "I reckon we've abouthad our spree, so we'll go back now."
"How far is your ranch from here?" queried Wild, as he stepped up closerto them.
"About thirty miles, I reckon," was the reply.
"Why, I heard there were no ranches within a hundred miles of here.That's mighty queer."
"Whoever told yer that don't know nothin' about this part of thercountry, I reckon."
"Well, it was the boss of the saloon who told us. Perhaps he isn't muchacquainted around here."
Neither of them said anything to this, but went on buckling up theirsaddle-girths.
"Which way are you going?" Wild asked, as they were ready to mount theirhorses.
"Right out that way," was the reply, and the speaker pointed toward thepass.
"What! You are not afraid of being held up in Forbidden Pass, then?"
"No. I reckon that's all rot what's said about that. Some galoots namedit Forbidden Pass, jest fur fun, an' since then there's them what'safraid of their own shadders what's added enough to it ter make folksthink it's dangerous ter go through there. We come that way, an' Ireckon we'll go back that way. I don't believe there's any gang ofoutlaws hangin' around there than there is right in this camp."
"Well, I am sorry to hear that. I had an idea that we could have alittle excitement hunting out the gang. If there is no gang there wewill be disappointed."
All three of the cowboys looked at him sharply.
It was evident that they did not know just what to make of the boy.
They swung themselves on their horses, however, and started to ride off.
"Say!" said Wild, calling out loudly to them. "If you happen to runacross any outlaws in Forbidden Pass just tell them that Young Wild Westis looking for them. Don't forget that, will you?"
One of the cowboys gave a reply that was not quite intelligible, but asthere was an oath attached to it, our hero knew that it was notcomplimentary to him.
He did not stop them, however, and they rode away straight for thenarrow pass at the other side of the pleasant little valley the camp waslocated in.
Not until they saw the three men disappear in the pass did our friendsgo into the saloon.
But let us follow the cowboys and find out something more about them.
When our hero had said that they might belong to the outlaws ofForbidden Pass he had hit the nail right on the head.
The fact was that there was a gang of eighteen villains located in thepass, and these three had been picked by the leader to ride to BigBonanza for the sole purpose of leading the miners to believe that therewas no longer any danger for travelers to go through that way when theywanted to go to Silver Bend.
During the time the trio was in the saloon they had been talking in thisway, and they had partly made Hoker, the proprietor, believe that therewas something in what they said.
The man Wild had treated so roughly bore the name of Chuck Snivel, andhe was a sort of lieutenant of the band.
The leader of the outlaws was a scheming man of a fair education, whowas called Cap Roche.
This villain owned a store in Silver Bend and was also the postmasterthere.
He divided his time with his lawless band and the store, and, being wellthought of in the mining camp, he had all the chance in the world topursue his villainy and profit greatly from it.
As Chuck Snivel and his two companions entered the pass they turned andtook one last look at Young Wild West and his partners.
"I reckon there's trouble ahead, fellers," the lieutenant of the outlawband observed. "That boy is about ther worst one I ever had tackle me;an' ther others is putty nigh as bad, no doubt. It sorter strikes methat they're here fur ther purpose of findin' us out. Yer all heard whatther boy said as we come away, I reckon?"
"I sartinly did, fur one," answered the man nearest him.
"He said if we happened ter run across any outlaws in Furbidden Pass weshould tell 'em that Young Wild West is lookin' fur 'um," the otheradded, quickly.
"That's jest what he said!" exclaimed Snivel. "Now, then, what does thatmean?"
"It means that he's after us," said the second, shaking his head andshrugging his shoulders.
"It looks that way," the third villain admitted.
"Well, yer kin bet your life we'll tell ther outlaws, won't we?"
"We sartinly will."
"Come on, then! Let's git to ther cave."
They set their bronchos at a gallop and moved rapidly through the pass.
"I wonder if ther sign was all right?" said one, as they rode along. "Iwas thinkin' so much about what that boy said that I never thought terlook."
"It was all right," replied Snivel; "I looked at it. Ther sign that CapRoche made on a barrel-head is there. Yer kin bet that it'll stay there,too. Young Wild West might take a notion ter knock it down; but if hedoes we'll see to it that it's put up ag'in, or another jest like it."
When they had covered about a mile they slowed down a little and beganto look behind them very often.
The fact was that they were nearing the hidden headquarters of theoutlaw band of Forbidden Pass.
The pass itself was just about two miles in length, the entrance beingless than a quarter of a mile from the cluster of shanties that made upthe mining camp of Big Bonanza.
At the other end the regular trail to Silver Bend would be reached, andby taking the cut through the short pass just about fifteen miles couldbe saved on a journey to Silver Bend.
But, as John Sedgwick had told Young Wild West, the miners no longertook the short cut, since so many holdups had occurred in the pass.
The clever man who captained and ran the gang of villains was now tryingto make the traffic be resumed through the pass, and, as has been said,Chuck Snivel and two others were sent over to the little mining camp tomake the miners believe that there was no longer any danger to travelthat way.
There was no doubt but that they had succeeded pretty well, too, sincethey were now certain that Young Wild West was coming through that way.
The boy had said enough to convince them of that.
It was a little more than half way through the pass that time threevillains, who had posed as cowboys at Big Bonanza, came to a halt.
They looked cautiously in both dire
ctions, and, not seeing a sign of ahuman being, Chuck Snivel nodded his head and exclaimed:
"I reckon everything's all right, boys. Come ahead!"
Then he turned and rode sharply to the left, to what seemed to be asolid wall of rock.
Reaching out his hand, he grasped a rope that was hidden beneath somehanging vines.
A sharp pull on this and up rolled a curtain, leaving an opening thatwas large enough for a horse and rider to pass through.
The curtain was made of some flexible material and was painted toimitate the rock that was on either side and above it.
Snivel rode in the opening and his companions followed him.
Once inside they all