It was Cap Roche, the leader of the outlaw band.

"Now, then, we'll see what Cap says about it," said Bob, his face
brightening a little.

"He'll soon fix it so Young Wild West won't amount ter much, I reckon,"
spoke up one of the men, confidently.

The villainous leader was soon among them and listening to the news
Chuck Snivel had brought from Big Bonanza.

CHAPTER IV.

OUR FRIENDS GO TO THE MOUTH OF THE PASS AND READ THE SIGN.

When Wild and his partners entered the barroom of the shanty saloon they
saw that quite a crowd had gathered there.

Nearly all the miners working the claims that had been staked out in the
camp made the saloon their headquarters evenings.

There were but two or three of the thirty miners who did not drink and
gamble, and they usually spent their idle time with the storekeeper,
smoking and talking until it was time to retire for the night.

Our hero cast a swift glance around the room and saw Hop standing almost
in the centre of the room, the miners gathered around him, and their
faces wearing grins.

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.

Hop knew this as well as any of them, and hence his desire to make
himself in good standing with them.

The first thing he did on entering, then, was to pull a chunky piece of
bamboo from under his coat and hold it up.

It was not more than eight inches in length and looked to be a very
common-looking thing.

But while the miners were wondering what the "heathen Chinee" was up to,
Hop suddenly gave the piece of bamboo a twist, and the next minute a
small, bright-colored parasol was in his hand.

This was raised in a jiffy, and then he went parading around the room
with it over his head.

Only a minute did this continue, however, and then the parasol vanished
as quickly as it had appeared.

The Chinaman roiled the piece of bamboo in his hands and that, too,
disappeared.

Then he stood still in the middle of the room