CHAPTER VIII.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?"