Old scout

“ Young Wild West noticed that a trail ran through the camp direct to the pass. But it did not appear as though it was used a great deal, since the wagon-ruts and hoof-prints had become obliterated in some parts.
"I wonder where that trail leads to?" our hero observed, as he tamed to his two partners. "Wherever it goes, there are not many using it now, it seems."
"It leads on up in the wilds of the mountains, by the looks of things," Jim Dart answered. "It may be that prospectors have gone that way and, not finding anything worth while, have come back through the pass again." ”

“ I don't want to have him get into trouble, and that is what he generally does when he wins a whole lot of money. There is always some one to accuse him of cheating, whether they catch him or not, and then there is trouble. Now don't play cards or throw dice with him for money, if you don't feel like losing your money."
"All right, Young Wild West; I'll take your advice," said the boss of the saloon. ”

“ I am glad to meet you, Young Wild West."
"All right, Cap Roche. I am glad to meet you, too."
"Ah! You know me, then?"
"Well, Sedgwick told me who you were. We saw you looking at the sign over at the pass. Quite a sign, isn't it?"
"You saw me looking at it?" queried the man, showing just the least bit of uneasiness.
"Yes, we were over there when you came out. The man who painted the letters on the barrel-head is quite an artist, and he knows how to spell, all right. They say there is another sign at the other end of the pass." ”

“ The few inhabitants of Big Bonanza were not in the habit of seeing female visitors.
"Well, gentlemen," said Young Wild West, "we have just dropped in here by accident, and I reckon if there's no objection we'll camp around here somewhere until morning. We are making a trip across the state, and we are going in a straight line as much as possible. What we happen to strike makes little difference to us; whether it is a mining camp or a desert. We are used to all kinds of traveling, and generally go prepared for anything." ”

“ Cap Roche scowled.
"See here!" he exclaimed, turning to Hop and quickly severing his bonds. "You go and tell Young Wild West's partners that I want all the money they can rake up, and as soon as you bring it to me you can all go free. They are to fetch no one here, though. If they do I will kill Young Wild West, and then take the chances of a siege in the cave." ”

“ But before they had time to get back and do anything both he and Arietta were dragged up close to what seemed to be the rocky wall of the cliff.
Then the curtain rolled up, and in they went, the outlaws following with those who had fallen and the horses.
It was all done so quickly that our hero found himself in the darkness before he fairly realized what had happened.
Arietta uttered a scream as she was hurried into the mouth of the hidden cave, but a hand was quickly placed over her mouth, and that ended any further chance to let Charlie and the rest know where they were being carried. ”

“ I expect to live a long while, Cap Roche. I reckon you think as much of your life as I do of mine. If you should kill me you know very well that you would not live long after doing it. Your friends would never get a chance to do you a good turn, for you would never fall into the hands of the minions of the law. ”

“ The clever Chinaman had come in by the back way while our three friends were watching the cowboys as they rode into Forbidden Pass.
The first thing he did was to try and make himself solid with the miners.
Though Nevada had plenty of Chinese at the time of which we write, it so happened that there were none in Big Bonanza until Young Wild West arrived with his two servants.
The men all knew what Chinamen were pretty well, and there was a sort of feeling against them that they were something not to be exactly classed with human beings, so to speak. ”

“ I reckon yer never heard none of us say any more than Cap. We didn't say that Cap Roche had anything ter do with our crowd."
"Well, I thought you did."
"I don't know as it makes any difference, though. You ain't never goin' away from here alive. Ther toll that you'll pay is your life, Young Wild West! Cap Roche will soon say that."
"Maybe he will, and maybe he won't," retorted our hero, as calmly as though he was simply talking business with a friend. "Cap Roche might take a notion to let me go. His business at the store in Silver Bend might require him to do so." ”

“ They'll be lookin' fur us. What do yer s'pose Young Wild West told me as we left Big Bonanza?"
"I don't know. What was it?"
"He said if we seen any outlaws in Furbidden Pass ter tell 'em that he was lookin' fur 'em."
Bob shook his head and showed that he felt very uneasy.
"I know how it'll be," he said, half to himself, "We're in fur it now. That boy has got more lives than a cat, an' when he shoots he kills every time. He's ther luckiest galoot what ever tried ter do a thing, an' if he has made up his mind ter clean us out yer kin bet he'll do it!" ”

“ WILD MAKES AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.
Cap Roche nodded his head at what Sedgwick said.
"All right," he said. "I reckon I'm satisfied. I am not broke, just because I lost a couple of hundred dollars."
After that he made himself very agreeable to all hands, and when he got ready to ride back to the cave in the pass he bade them good night and invited them to call at his store when in Silver Bend.
Young Wild West and his partners waited until the man rode off, and then they hurriedly left the shanty saloon.
Wild set out on a run for the camp. ”

“ The signs when finished bore the words:
"Short Cut Pass—No danger!"
(Signed) "Young Wild West."
"There! I reckon as soon as we have put these up we will call the job complete," he said.
Not until they were up did our friends return to their camp.
There was a big time in Big Bonanza, as might be supposed.
A messenger had been sent over to Silver Bend to spread the news of the capture of the outlaw band, and, with the prisoners locked in a shanty, the miners danced around it in delight. ”

“ Young Wild West and his partners knew that Hop had all sorts of trick dice, and they could easily guess that he had played a trick on the man in order to beat him.
But since there was no money involved, our hero would not say anything.
He did not like Hop to fleece any one honest, though, and as the clever Celestial was always bent on cheating some one, it often became necessary to make him give back his winnings. ”

“ Our hero thought he had better let the boss of the place and his patrons know that the Chinaman was a sharp and trick gambler, so just as Hoker proposed that they throw again, and for five dollars on the side, he spoke out:
"Gentlemen, I advise you not to gamble with Hop Wah. He is a very smart one at the business, and he will relieve you of all the money you have, if you play with him. Being a sleight-of-hand performer, he can do things that you could not see. ”

“ Sedgwick, you know pretty well what we think of gangs of outlaws, and the like."
"I do," was the reply. "If you start after 'em once, you always land 'em too."
"Well, we'll start after this gang, then. You can bet that we'll come mighty near landing them, too!"
"I'm sure of that, Wild."
"Say!" said our hero, as the miners started again to go. "Didn't you say that the outlaws consist of cowboys who have been forced to light out from the ranches they worked upon?"
"Yes, that's what I heard over in Silver Bend."
"Well, there are three cowboys over at the saloon now. ”

“ Having disposed of the cowboys, Young Wild West now asked the keeper of the saloon if he thought there would be any objections to their pitching a camp somewhere around in the vicinity.
"I reckon not," was the reply. "There ain't no one as lives here in Big Bonanza, what would 'ject ter anything like that. They've all heard tell about Young Wild West, I reckon, an' some of 'em says as how they've seen yer. Yer kin bet that yer will be welcome here! Jest help yourselves ter any spot yer want." ”

“ I won't be long in findin' out what he's up to. If he gets through Forbidden Pass without paying toll he's got to be a good one, that's all. His life will probably be the price demanded for toll, too. I reckon that's what I'll make it."
After a few minutes further conversation on the subject the leader of the gang, who was posing as an honest business man in Silver Bend, left the cave, leading his horse out under the curtain that was rolled up by one of the men for him. ”

“ We'll keep the girl here. I reckon we'll collect the toll all right."
"It will be a dear toll, too," spoke up the man who had cautioned him not to kill the boy. "Two of us went under, I s'pose you know."
"An' no amount of money will bring 'em back ter life," chimed in another.
"There'll be a lot more of you go under before you collect your toll!" exclaimed Young Wild West, who had now fully recovered from the surprise he had been treated to. "Just wait!"
"That's all right, boy," Chuck Snivel answered, "You know how I feel toward you, I reckon. ”

“ Why don't you put up a bigger shanty, like we've got over at the Bend? This place is growing all the time, and the time will soon be here when you'll have the chance to fill a good-sized building with boarders. I reckon there's plenty of dust here that hasn't been dug out yet."
"There ain't no doubt about that, Cap," spoke up one of the miners. "This is goin' ter be one of ther best minin' camps in ther middle part of Nevada, an' there ain't no mistake on that. It's most placer minin' that we've been doin' here, 'cause we ain't got no machinery ter go down deep in ther ground. ”

“ Young Wild West ain't never goin' ter git out of here alive. I've swore that I'll kill him; an' ther boss of our gang wouldn't think of lettin' him live, nohow. Jest make up your mind that ther boys has got ter die, an' that you're likely ter go ther same way yourself. There's nothin' like resignin' yourself to your fate, yer know. ”

“ They let go their revolvers and scrambled to their feet.
"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Cheyenne Charlie. "A fine lot of galoots you are! Young Wild West is only a boy, all right, but I reckon he kin lick a stagecoach load of sich fellers as you are! Make 'em do ther tenderfoot dance, Wild. Go on—jest fur fun!"
"All right, Charlie," was the reply, and the young deadshot fired a shot that hit the ground near the feet of the spokesman of the trio.
"Hold on!" the cowboy shouted. "It's all right, Young Wild West. I know who yer are now. I'll 'pologize. Don't shoot no more!" ”

“ Few, indeed, are possessed of such sterling qualities, and it is only those who are that make real heroes.
But, as we have already stated, and the majority of our readers know, Young Wild West was a genuine boy hero of the Wild West, and that is only saying the truth. ”

“ He acts jest as though he ain't no prisoner. He's got nerve enough fur ten, I reckon."
"I reckon it's his bluff that's always carried him through," remarked one of the outlaws, as he looked at the helpless boy and nodded. "But there's always a time, yer know. Young Wild West has gone ther length of his rope!"
"I reckon you'll find that my rope is a great deal longer than you think," Wild answered, thinking it good policy to keep in conversation with them, as the more time Charlie and Jim had to figure out a way of helping him the better it would be. ”

“ Arietta spoke up. "We will need something from the general store that can't be bought in Big Bonanza."
They all laughed at this, and then, mounting their horses, turned and rode back into the narrow pass.
The mile to the spot where the secret entrance to the cave had been discovered by our hero the night before was soon made, and then they came to a halt.
Wild was just going to dismount to make an examination when a revolver shot sounded and his hat was knocked off his head. ”

“ They've struck it rich somewhere, an' ther first big town they come ter they've bought new clothes. I reckon I kin judge things all right."
"So you think you can judge pretty well, eh?" said Young Wild West, as he dismounted. "Well, what do you take me to be?"
"A putty smart boy, who thinks it looks nice ter have his hair long, an' who likes ter put on lugs 'cause he's got some putty gals with him," answered the cowboy, after a slight pause. ”

“ Just then Cap Roche happened to set eyes on Hop Wah, who was sitting at a table, showing half a dozen miners some tricks with a pack of cards.
"Hello! You've got a heathen here, eh?" he exclaimed. "When did he strike here!"
"Late this afternoon, Cap," answered Hoker. "He's a great Chinee, too. He's a sleight-of-hand feller, an' he kin handle dice an' cards any way he wants ter. A man don't stand no more show winnin' from him than he does walkin' on air." ”

“ As Chuck Snivel and his two companions entered the pass they turned and took one last look at Young Wild West and his partners.
"I reckon there's trouble ahead, fellers," the lieutenant of the outlaw band 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 me that they're here fur ther purpose of findin' us out. Yer all heard what ther boy said as we come away, I reckon?" ”

“ Being the owner of several gold and silver mines, the young deadshot had an income that was more than sufficient to permit him to pursue his favorite hobby, which was riding about through the wildest parts of the states and territories in search of adventure. ”

“ Jest because these galoots you're talkin' about happened ter clean out ther gang you belonged to in Arizony, don't say that they're goin' ter do anything like that with us. What did I hear yer say—that Young Wild West is only a boy?"
"That's all he is," Bob answered. "But he kin do more than any man I ever seen." ”