CAPTURED IN THE PASS.
As our friends neared the commencement of Forbidden Pass they saw that a
crowd of the miners of the camp were watching them.
A man, whom they easily recognized as Sedgwick, waved his hand to them,
and they answered it.
"I suppose he thinks that something will surely happen to us, if the
outlaws are still hanging around here," our hero observed. "Well, he may
be right; we can't tell."
"I want to read that sign, Wild," spoke up Arietta, as she brought her
horse to a halt. "Well, it was not painted by an ignorant man, anyhow.
It is about the first sign, with so many letters to it, that I have seen
spelled correctly--in a little camp, like this, anyhow."
"Oh, I reckon Cap Roche made the sign, all right, Et," replied our hero.
"He seems to be a pretty smart man. The lettering is good, I must say.
And there is even a painted background--something I did not notice last
night, boys. A pale-blue background, with white letters. Well, that is
all right!"
"We have got to pay toll, I suppose, Arietta," said Jim, with a twinkle
in his eye.
"I said a minute or two ago that I would pay it, if any was demanded,"
she retorted. "Just leave that part to me."
No one knew exactly what she meant, and it is hardly likely that she did
herself. But there was one thing evident, and that was that she did not
mean that any money was to be handed over to the outlaws, should it be
demanded.
They did not remain at a halt long, but proceeded on their way, their
horses at a gentle canter.
"Just keep your eyes on the watch for three stones lying close
together," said Wild, as they got nearly a mile through the pass. "They
are stones a little larger than a goose egg, I should judge."
"All right," answered the scout, with a confident nod. "I reckon I'll
see 'em, if they kin be seen, Wild."
A minute or two later they came to the very spot where Wild had seen the
villain disappear the night before.
The boys could tell when he got there right away, as he had noticed the
spot where he had dismounted, the ground being rather soft there; and
the hoofprints, as well as his own footprints were discernible.
Charlie and Jim noticed the prints, too, and they were almost straining
their eyes to catch sight of the three stones.
Suddenly the scout gave an exclamation of satisfaction, and then quickly
added:
"I see 'em, Wild."
"So do I," said Jim, almost at the same instant.
"All right, boys. We'll go right on through the pass, and when we come
back we'll make an investigation."
The girls also saw the three little stones, but when they found that
Wild did not seem to want to make much of them just then they rode on,
with only a passing comment.
They reached the other end of the pass without meeting a human being or
seeing anything that would indicate the presence of any.
Then they dismounted and took a look at the sign that was posted there.
It was so nearly like the other that if the two had been side by side
the difference could not have been told.
This one was nailed to a big tree, and after he had looked it over Wild
decided to take it down and see if there was anything on the other side
of it.
He used the butt of a revolver in place of a hammer and soon knocked the
barrel-head loose from the tree.
Then it was quickly pried off.
Much to his satisfaction, he saw that there was some lettering on the
back of the sign.
But it was done in black, and the letters were daubed on in a careless
way, such as a shipping house clerk does it.
Young Wild West's face lighted up with a smile as he read the following:
"Cap Roche,"
"General Store,"
"Silver Bend, Nev."
"What do you think of that?" he asked, holding the barrel-head so his
companions could read it. "I reckon we know where the material to make
the sign came from now."
"Great gimlets!" exclaimed Cheyenne Charlie. "If you hadn't seen Roche
go inter ther cave last night you would know now that he was connected
with ther outlaws. This is what I calls great!"
"Well, I'll just put the sign up again," said our hero, after a moment
of thought. "But I'll put it so the back part can be read. It may make
Cap Roche wonder a little, and if anybody else, not connected with his
gang, sees it they may do a little studying and wondering."
He soon knocked the nails out, and then he lost no time in nailing the
sign to the tree in the manner he had proposed to do.
"There you are!" he said. "You can't see the words as plainly as you
could the others; but I reckon they can be read all right, if one takes
the trouble to get up a little close to the tree."
"I reckon if any one comes this way they'll notice it quick enough," the
scout declared.
As they intended to go no further, they simply took a look at the trail
that came around the mountain at that point and then continued on toward
the southwest.
"There's the way to Silver Bend," said Wild. "I reckon we'll go through
there when we get done with Forbidden Pass."
"That's right, Wild," 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.
The next instant fully a dozen came down the rocky side of the pass and
confronted them with drawn revolvers.
"Hands up--everybody!" called out one of them, who was easily recognized
as Chuck Snivel, the cowboy.
Crack--crack!
Charlie fired two shots in quick succession, and then urged the girls to
flee.
Wild saw that nearly all the men were pointing their weapons at him, so
he thought it best to obey the command.
He seemed to be the one they wanted, and he felt that one hostile word
from him would insure his death.
Two of the outlaws had dropped when the scout fired, but the others were
so close upon them that Wild was seized and pulled from his horse in
less than a second, almost.
The young deadshot struck at them with his clenched fists and made it
decidedly unpleasant for them.
But he knew he could not get away, and he was simply doing this to give
his companions a chance.
They all took advantage of it but one, and that was Arietta.
"I reckon you'll pay toll fur coming through Forbidden Pass, Young Wild
West!" one of the villains exclaimed. "Hold him tight, boys! I'm glad
yer didn't kill him when that shot was fired at him. I told Chuck not
ter do it. Ther captain wants him alive. Git ther gal, too! This is what
I call collectin' toll, all right!"
Arietta's horse had been seized by the bit, and a ruffianly fellow stood
holding him with one hand, while his other held a revolver that was
pointed at the girl's breast.
The rest of the party had succeeded in getting around a bend, but Wild
knew they would not go very far.
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.
Wild's weapons were taken from him while he was being dragged into the
cave, and it was a very rough handling that he received.
But he knew how useless it was, so he did no further struggling.
The fact that the rest had succeeded in getting away was a little
consolation, for that meant that they would come back and effect a
rescue.
Our hero placed the utmost dependence on Charlie and Jim, for they had
never failed him yet.
In through the short passage the outlaws took them, and then into the
big cave.
They paused here long enough to bind the boy's hands and then Chuck
Snivel, who was in command, said:
"Outside into the hole with him, boys. Tie him to the post until Cap
comes. 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. You don't have no idea that you're ever goin' ter
git away from here alive, do yer?"
"I haven't the least doubt but that I will," was the calm retort.
"Well, jest see how mistaken you'll be. I'm goin' ter be ther one what
will kill yer! Do yer understand that?"