Young Wild West at "Forbidden Pass" Part 21

But he came back again, and, looking at the villain he had played the trick on he said:

"You takee my tanglefoot and allee samee puttee in your pockee; me wantee."

As it was Roche who had appropriated the flask, the man shook his head and grinned.

"See here!" exclaimed the leader, angrily. "You ought to be satisfied that I didn't take more than the whisky. You've got your mouse, so go on and do your errand."

"Oh!" cried Hop, his face lighting up. "Now me know. You takee um tanglefoot, and lis man takee my mousee! He allee samee goatee in um pockee."

Instinctively the outlaw put his hand in his pocket, and the first thing his fingers came in contact with was the dead mouse.

He uttered a cry and pulled it out.

"Hip hi!" yelled Hop, as he ran for the mouth of the cave.

But the outlaw was just mad enough to run and catch him before he got to the curtain.

"Here," said Hop, "me givee you lis. Allee samee diamond ling inside.

Lettee poor Chinee go!"

It was one of the oblong, little packages that he handed to the man, and, letting the mouse drop, he took it and walked back to those in the big cave.

But he did not notice that a tiny spark was working its way along what seemed to be a string on the package.

The fact was that it was one of his patent firecrackers that Hop had given him.

Just as he joined the rest at the table the thing exploded with a noise like that of a shotgun.

"Ow! Murder!" yelled the outlaw, for his hand was burned by the operation.

Then he danced about like a wild man, while the prisoners were forced to laugh, in spite of their situation.

Cap Roche was the first to realize what had happened.

"Shut up!" he commanded. "He played a joke on you, that's all. Serves you right for fooling with him. That is the greatest Chinaman I ever saw."

The victim went for water to cool his burning hand.

"Allee light; me go now," called out Hop, who had been, watching from the front of the cave. "Me soonee come back with um money to pay um toll, so be."

Out he went, and he had not gone more than a dozen yards when he came upon the scout.

"Where's Anna an' Eloise?" Charlie demanded.

"Outlaws allee samee gottee," was the reply. "Come 'way petty quicken."

He almost pulled him around the bend, and then he found Jim and Arietta there.

The three had been watching from the top of the cliff, and when they saw the outlaws take Wild in they did not wait very long there, but came back to the pa.s.s.

It was their intention to take up a couple of lariats and try and devise a means of getting Wild away from the villains, but when they found that the girls and the Chinaman were not there, while the horses were just as they had left them, they did not know what to make of it.

It was while the scout was creeping up to the cave, thinking that the outlaws might have caught those they had left in the pa.s.s, that he saw Hop come out.

It was surely a morning of surprises, and Charlie was badly puzzled.

But when Hop told of the errand he has been sent on he was completely silenced for the time being.

When he found the use of his tongue he exclaimed:

"Well, that beats anything yet! So ther galoots wants us ter pay money, eh? Well, I reckon not! We'll jest git Wild an' ther two gals away from 'em without pain' a thing. Hop, you take my horse an' ride over to ther camp as fast as yer kin. Jest git ther miners together an' tell 'em what's up. Then yer kin git some of ther counterfeit money you've got hid around somewhere an' come back an' take it ter Roche. While you're talkin' to 'em we'll all creep in an' fix ther galoots fur good an'

all!"

"Allee light, Misler Charlie."

Hop was not long in mounting the scout's horse, and then he rode swiftly to Big Bonanza.

He went to the camp first and, telling Wing enough to make him frightened about it, he got a roll of counterfeit money from his saddlebags.

This he stuffed in his pocket, and then he rode to the saloon.

"Misler Hoker," he said; "me wanted allee samee lot of mans to go and fight um outlaws, so be. Ley allee samee goatee Young Wild West in um cave, and Missy Anna and Missy Eloise, too, so be."

The keeper of the saloon was astounded when he heard this.

He questioned the Chinaman and soon came to the conclusion that he was telling the truth.

Then he hastily left the saloon and went out and told the miners as fast as he could get to the places they were working at.

Shortly afterward the first of the miners to be notified by Hoker came running into the saloon.

Hop had to answer a lot of questions, but he managed to make it plain to the miners what was wanted of them, so in a few minutes they were marching for the pa.s.s.

The Chinaman rode on ahead and soon came to the spot where he had left Charlie, Jim and Arietta.

But they were not there now, and, thinking that they had ascended the cliff again, he decided to go on in the cave.

He went around to the curtain and found the scout lying close to the cliff near it.

Charlie motioned for him to go on in, and, without looking at him any further, Hop lifted the curtain and obeyed.

CHAPTER XIV.

HOW ARIETTA PAID THE TOLL.

Arietta and Jim had gone to the top of the cliff again, hoping to catch sight of Wild once more, while Charlie remained near the mouth of the cave.

The scout made up his mind to get inside when Hop came back, and he had managed to creep up close to the concealed opening.