by Old scout
villains.
There had been a man watching for Hop's return, but in some way he hadneglected to be looking at the time Charlie crept up, and it was notuntil he had escorted the Chinaman to the leader that he went to thecurtain to stand guard again.
But he did not see the crouching form of the scout, and once he hadpassed him Charlie began moving toward the rear of the cave.
He soon got to within a few feet of the villains in the cave, and whenhe peered from behind a rock and saw his wife and Eloise sitting at thetable near Wild; he felt a little easier.
Hop was standing before the leader of the band, and all eyes were turnedon him.
He had been talking in a random sort of way, not seeing fit to make areport just yet.
"Stop that!" exclaimed Roche, as he started in to give an account as howsmart his uncle in China was. "Did you get the money from Young WildWest's partners--that's the question?"
"Me allee samee git tee bigger pile of money and um bottle of tanglefoot,so be," answered the Chinaman, quickly getting down to business.
"Give me the money!"
"You lettee Miss Anna and Missy Eloise go?" Hop went on asking.
"Yes, I'll let them go right now."
To make good his words he cut the ropes that held them helpless and toldthe two girls to walk on out.
Surprised at their sudden release, they lost no time in obeying.
Hop handed over the roll of counterfeit money.
"Now you can go, too," he said, nodding to the Chinaman.
"How aboutee Misler Wild?"
"Well, we'll keep him a little while longer, I reckon."
Anna and Eloise lost no time in getting out of the cave.
Just why the villainous leader of the band had seen fit to let them gothey did not know.
The scout saw them go past him, but he did not offer to attract theirattention.
He was waiting to get a chance to release Wild.
But it was not going to come to him just then, for Cap Roche suddenlycalled Chuck Snivel and said:
"Take Young Wild West out and tie him to the post again. I reckon wecan't trust altogether to that Chinaman. It may be that he has told theminers of Big Bonanza all about this. If he has we will need theprisoner to make terms with them. There is one thing about it, and thatis that Young Wild West don't go free until I know for a certainty thatwe will be allowed a chance to get away."
As soon as Hop saw that they were going to take Wild outside he made hisway toward the front of the cave.
"Goodby!" he said. "When you finder lat me allee samee keepee my wordyou let Misler Wild go. Len you all go 'way, and nobody hurtee you."
Hop lost no time in getting outside.
He found the girls where the horses were.
But Jim and Arietta were nowhere to be seen.
"Missy Anna," he said to the scout's wife, "you and Missy Eloise alleesamee takee horses and lide to meet um miners. You tellee allee 'boutee.But makee um stay light here till Misler Charlie or Misler Jim come."
"All right, Hop," Anna answered. "We will do just as you say. But whereis Charlie?"
"He in um cave."
"What!"
"He come in light after me, so be. He waitee to git tee lillee chance togit tee Misler Wild outee."
The girls understood.
Just then the walking miners from the camp came in sight.
There were twenty or more of them, and they were all armed to the teeth.
When they saw the girls they broke into a cheer, but a motion from Hopquickly silenced them.
"Don't makee no noise," he said. "Misler Wild no git tee outee yet, sobe."
Then he told them just how things were, and the men agreed to wait withthe girls until they received orders from either Charlie on Jim.
Hop now clambered up the cliff to find Arietta and Jim.
Once at the top he looked around, but could see nothing of them.
He quickly made his way over to the other side and cautiously peeredover.
The outlaws had just brought Wild out of the cave, and on a ledge abouttwelve feet above him were Arietta and Jim, hiding behind a rock.
"Young Wild West," said Cap Roche, as the boy was led out to the post,"are you ready to give your promise that we will not be interferedwith?"
"I can't give a promise like that until I know for certain that I am tobe freed," was the reply.
As Wild spoke the words he caught a glimpse of Arietta and Jim on theledge.
But he was so well trained that he did not let the villains know that hehad seen anything out of the ordinary.
"Tie him to the post, boys," said Roche. "I reckon we've got to figurethis thing out right before we do much. I'll see if we need any more inthe way of toll."
He pulled out the roll Hop had given him, and the men, eager to see themoney, did not proceed to tie Wild right away.
The moment Roche opened the roll he saw that it was not good money.
An oath escaped his lips.
"Where is that rascal of a Chinaman?" he demanded. "This isn't money. Itis nothing but the rankest kind of counterfeit bills."
It was just then that our hero saw his sweetheart getting ready to dosomething.
At the same moment Hop was hurrying to the edge of the cliff on theother side to tell the miners to rush into the cave.
The critical moment had arrived.
The villains had just finished tying Wild to the post when a lariatwhizzed through the air and settled over the head and shoulders of theleader.
"Here is the way we are going to pay the toll!" cried Arietta.
Up the side of the cliff went the man.
The brave girl held a revolver pointed at Snivel, and, in a ringingvoice, she added:
"Release the prisoner, or your captain will die!"
CHAPTER XV.
CONCLUSION.
Cheyenne Charlie was just thinking of making his way out of the cavewhen a shout rang out from the opening they had taken Wild through.
Out went the men in a hurry, and, hearing Arietta's voice shouting awarning to them, the scout drew his revolvers, and with one in eitherhand bounded out after the outlaws.
One of the first things he saw was the form of Cap Roche hanging fromthe ledge.
The rope had looped him about the body and pinioned his arms at the sametime.
But the villain was making a desperate struggle and the rope showedsigns of slipping.
However, not one of the men dared to shoot at the girl or Jim.
Cheyenne Charlie stepped up and walked around behind Wild without beingnoticed by the excited and surprised outlaws.
A quick slash with his knife and the ropes were severed.
Then he slipped a revolver in the boy's hand.
Wild coolly stepped from the post.
"Up with your hands, you sneaking coyotes!" he cried in a ringing voice."I reckon ther jig is up now. Arietta has paid ther toll!"
Then Wild calmly reached out and took another revolver from the belt ofthe nearest man to him.
Two of the villains held up their hands, but the rest made a bolt forthe cave.
Crack!
Cheyenne Charlie got at work, as usual, and the foremost one dropped.
"I reckon you galoots will have ter have a bigger grave dug when we gitthrough with yer," he called out. "That one you've got here ain't halfbig enough!"
Just then Cap Roche slipped the rope, and down he came in a heap.
Before he could get upon his feet our hero stood over him.
"Surrender!" he cried. "It is the easiest way out of it. If you fight itout there won't be one man left of you, Roche!"
"I'll never surrender!" was the defiant shout. "Go ahead and shoot me,if you want to. I am going to die fighting."
He rolled over and got upon his feet, regardless of the fact that thefinger of the young deadshot was upon the trigger of the revolver thatwas aimed at him.
Roche had lost his revolvers when he tumbled down, but he still hold hisknife.
>
Jerking it from the sheath, he prepared to make a rush at the boy, whostood covering him with a revolver.
Just then several shots rang out from inside the cave, following byyells of triumph.
Arietta now slid down by means of the lariat Jim had hold of.
Then Jim dropped the distance himself.
Out of the cave came the miners, dragging the prisoners they had takenwith them.
Roche turned deathly pale when he saw that it was all up with him.
"Young Wild West," he hissed, "I want to kill you before I die myself! Iwill never be taken alive, so if you have got the nerve to fight me,come on!"
Wild dropped his revolvers into the holsters and took Jim's knife.
"I'm after you, Cap!" he exclaimed, a smile playing about his mouth. "Ifyou want to kill me, come on!"
Clash!
The knives came together in the air, and then the fight