s escape had happened so unexpectedly that they could hardly
realize it, and then, right on the back of it, another man is shot!

"Chuck," said the man called Bob, "I reckon we're in fur it."

"Don't say that," was the retort. "Ain't we got Young Wild West hard an'
fast?"

"Yes, an' we thought we had ther gal that way, too. But she ain't here
now, is she?"

"Well, I wouldn't care two cents about her, if it wasn't that it was
through her that Wally got shot."

"Poor Wally! An' jest as we was fillin' up ther grave of ther other two,
too. Well, yer didn't finish their job, did yer?"

"No; when we heard ther hubbub inside we stopped an' run in."

"An' left Young Wild West out there alone, eh?"

"Yes; but he couldn't git away; you know that well enough."

"There ain't no tellin' what he might do."

Snivel hurried out of the rear of the cave.

But the prisoner was still there, tied to the post, just as he had been
left.

The horses of the outlaws had been led out there, and they were cropping
at some sparse grass that grew there.

As the sun did not get much of a chance at the bottom of the hole, as it
was called by the outlaws, the vegetation there was scarce.

"So you're here yet, eh?" said Snivel, as he stepped up to the boy.

"Why, yes," was the reply. "You didn't think I was going to leave so
soon, did you?"

"No, I didn't think so. But funny things is happenin' jest about now."

"What was the matter in the cave?"

Wild asked the question in an indifferent way, but he was really anxious
to hear, for he had no idea that Arietta had made her escape.

He had heard the shot, too, and he was eager to find out what it all
meant.

"Yer want ter know what was ther matter in ther cave, eh?" asked Snivel,
looking at the boy and scowling. "Well, I don't know as it will do any
hurt ter tell yer. Ther gal got away from us--that's what was ther
matter."

"Is that so? Who fired the shot I heard?"

"One of your pards, I s'pose."

"Did it hit any one?"

"I reckon it did. Another of our men got laid out. Oh, this is only
makin' it all ther worse fur you, Young Wild West. You don't stand no
livin' show, so there's no use in thinkin' yer do."

"I wish Cap Roche would come, so I call find out my fate," said Wild,
though he did not mean it.

The longer the leader of the outlaws stayed away the better were his
chances of being rescued by his partners.

"How do you know that Cap Roche is ther one that's goin'