by Old scout
remain with Wing and watch the camp, Hop grewso restless after our friends had been gone about half an hour that hedecided to follow them and see if he could not assist in hunting downthe outlaws.
He had heard enough of the conversation to make him understand just howthe hidden cave was located, and he relied on his sleight-of-hand workto help him.
If there was anything that the Chinaman liked it was to do somethingthat met with the approval of Young Wild West.
After he had once got it into his head that he wanted to go Hop grewvery restless.
Finally he turned to the cook and said:
"Me go takee lillee walk thlough um pass, so be, my blother."
"Misler Wild say you, allee samee stay here, so be," was the reply.
"Lat allee light. But me 'flaid Misler Wild allee samee git tee in umtlouble; me wantee helpee out."
Wing did not care if he did go, for he thought he was perfectly able totake care of the camp.
So when Hop said he thought Wild might be in trouble he nodded andretorted:
"Allee light; my blother go if he wantee to. Me allee samee stay here,likee Misler Wild say."
"Lat light, my blother. You velly muchee goodee Chinee; but you nounderstand, likee me; me allee samee velly muchee smartee, allee sameemy uncle in China."
"Um uncle in China allee samee dead; git tee head cuttee off for stealeepig!"
"Sh!" said Hop, holding up his hand. "My blother mustee not letteeMisler Charlie knowee lat."
"Me no care, so be. You allee samee foolee."
Wing acted as though he was disgusted, but a sorrowful look from hisbrother soon brought him around.
"Me no tellee Misler Charlie," he said.
"Allee light. Now me go to um saloon and git tee lillee dlop oftanglefoot; len me go and havee lillee look alound up Forbiddee Passee,so be."
Hop was not long in getting ready.
Without another word he set out for the saloon.
The miners were all at work by this time, so there was no one there butHoker and the man he had to help him.
They were both busy cleaning up the place when the Chinaman entered, butthey greeted him cordially.
"Where's Young Wild West?" asked Hoker, though he well knew that he hadstarted out to go through Forbidden Pass.
"He takee lillee tlip to huntee uppee some outlaws, so be," answered theChinaman. "Me likee havee lillee tanglefoot; len me go outee huntee,too, so be."
"Is that so? Well, I don't know how much of a hunter you are, but if yerare as good at it as yer are with ther cards you'll make out all right,I reckon."
"Lat light."
Hop got his drink, and then he had a flask filled with whisky for uselater on.
"Now, len," said he, blandly, "me chuck dicee to see if me pay or yougivee me um tanglefoot."
"No yer don't!" was the quick reply. "You fork over ther money. I ain'tgoin' inter no gamblin' game with you. You're too much fur me, an' Iain't ashamed ter own up ter it."
Hop grinned and paid the bill.
Then he put the flask in his pocket and set out for the pass.
He had heard Wild say that the spot where the hidden cave was locatedwas only about a mile from the camp, so that made a nice, little walkfor him.
The fact was that Hop did not mind walking, anyhow.
He was in the saddle so much that it was a relief to get the opportunityto walk around once in a while.
Reaching the pass, he took a good look at the sign and gave a nod ofapproval.
Hop had learned to read English pretty well, though he could not speakit with any great degree of accuracy.
But he did not want to do any better than what he did in that line, forhis style just suited him.
"Make pay allee samee toll, so be," he said, musingly. "Whattee lat?"
That was just a little too much for him.
But he was not going to let it worry him any, so he started through thepass without any further delay.
The trail made by our friends was very plain in places, and Hop tooknotice of this fact.
He walked along leisurely, taking in all he saw, which was not a greatdeal, since there were nothing but cliffs and the blue sky above to beseen.
He kept right on until finally he rounded a turn in the pass and saw JimDart and the girls about a hundred yards ahead.
As they were gathered behind a big rock, as though hiding, he knew thatsomething was wrong right away.
Hop came to a pause.
Though he wanted to know what was up, he felt that it would be best togo it alone, so he did not walk ahead and join them.
While he stood back close to the cliff a revolver shot rang out.
He saw Jim raise his head above the rock and take a quick look in thedirection it came from, and then all was still.
It so happened that Hop had got there just in time to hear the shot thatended the career of the fourth outlaw.
The Chinaman did not know what it meant, so he looked for a way to getup close to Jim and the girls without being seen by them.
If he went on through the narrow defile he could not do it.
Then he looked up and, much to his satisfaction, he saw a place thatcould be climbed quite easily, he thought.
He decided to go on up, and then work his way along until he wasdirectly above those in waiting.
Hop was quite agile for a Chinaman who did not like work a great deal.
He was soon ascending the craggy way, and in less than two minutes hewas at the top of the cliff.
Once there he found that it was comparatively level, and he walked alongfearlessly.
But he could not help noticing that there was a fissure similar to thatwhich formed the pass on the other side, and, being curious to see whatwas down there, he made his way to the edge.
A smothered cry of astonishment came from the Chinaman's lips as hepeered downward.
It was the "hole," as the outlaws termed it, that Hop was looking into,and there was Young Wild West, tied to the post, in plain view!
"Lat petty goodie--or petty bids, so be!" exclaimed Hop, under hisbreath, "Me finder Misler Wild petty quicken. But um bad Mexican mansgoatee him, so be."
Keeping out of sight, he lay flat at the top of the cliff and saw theexcited outlaws as they moved about in the hole below him.
The distance was about forty feet, but Hop soon discovered a way to getdown, or nearly all the distance, anyhow.
But he did not intend to risk doing it just then.
The excited voices of the men came to his ears, and he was not long inmaking out that they were talking about a man that had just been shot ashe went out to get the body of a comrade.
From his position he could see about all there was to be seen in thefissure.
There was the grave the villains had placed the two bodies in, and whichthey had started to fill.
He counted ten men there, too, and he shook his head when he found therewere so many of them.
"Misler Wild allee samee in um bad box, so be," he muttered. "Me bettergo tell Misler Jim, so be."
Having decided upon this plan of action, he crawled away from the edgeof the cliff and made his way down into the pass.
It was easier to get down than it was to come up, and once there hestarted boldly for Jim and the girls.
He was within twenty feet of them when Arietta turned and saw him.
"Here is Hop!" she exclaimed in a low voice. "Maybe he can help us out."
Jim brightened when he saw the clever Chinaman, for he knew very wellthat Hop had been of great value to them in such cases.
"Come here," he said, beckoning to him. "Don't make any noise, Hop."
"Me no makee noisee," was the reply. "Me knowee allee 'boutee; me justsee Misler Wild. He tied to um post, and ten mans by him. Allee sameevelly muchee bad workee."
"You saw Wild!" Arietta exclaimed, looking at the Chinaman in surprise.
"Lat allee samee light, Missy Alietta."
"Where did you see him?"
"Me
go uppee lere, and me allee samee lookee down on um other side, sobe."
"Great Scott!" cried Jim Dart. "Who would have thought of doing that?Hop, you are a dandy!"
"Me velly muchee smartee Chinee, so be," was the reply. "Where MislerCharlie? Me takee and showee where Misler Wild is velly muchee quicken,so be."
Jim gave a signal, which was answered right away by the scout, who wascrouching behind a big boulder, right close to the curtained entrance ofthe cave.
The next minute Charlie was seen approaching them.
"Come on," said Jim. "Hop has seen Wild, and he wants to show us wherehe is."
CHAPTER XII.
THE OUTLAWS TAKE SOME MORE PRISONERS.
As soon as Hop had explained just how they could get up to the top ofthe ridge Cheyenne Charlie was eager to go.
"Ther gals kin go back ter Big Bonanza, I reckon," he said. "Then