ectly in front of the hidden opening,
so they could not be knocked aside by horses, should they come out.

But Wild knew just where he put them, anyhow, and then he went back to
the waiting sorrel, and, mounting, rode off at a walk.

Not until he was a hundred yards from where he had mounted his horse did
he set out at a gallop, and then he was not long in reaching the end of
the pass.

Wild rode to the little camp and dismounted, surprising his waiting
friends for getting back so soon.

"I reckon yer couldn't catch up to ther galoot, eh, Wild?" remarked
Cheyenne Charlie.

"Oh, I caught up with him, all right," was the reply. "Things worked
just the way I wanted them to."

"Is that so? Good enough!"

"Yes. I caught up to Cap Roche, and I was just in time to see him
disappear."

"Disappear?" echoed Arietta. "Then he fooled you, after all?"

"Oh, no. He didn't fool me, Et, for I found where he went."

"Git out!" exclaimed the scout, jubilantly.

"Yes, I was right there in the proper time. But I'll tell you all about
it."

This the young deadshot did, and when he had done the faces of his
partners and the girls wore smiles of delight and satisfaction.

Even the girls were always anxious to see him make a success of hunting
down outlaws and bad men, no matter how much the danger was in doing it.

They had become so used to it that they thought that Wild and his
partners were simply following the natural law in doing such things.

"I am glad you did not go into the place, Wild," Arietta said. "If you
had done so you might have been caught, and then we would not have known
where to look for you."

"That is just why I didn't take the risk of doing it, Et," was the reply.
"To-morrow will be time enough to get inside the cave, or whatever it
may be. But you can bet that both Charlie and Jim will know just where
it is before I make the attempt."

Our friends usually retired quite early nights, and as they were pretty
well tired out from an all-day ride, they decided to get the sleep they
needed.

Hop had not returned yet, but Wild thought he would allow him to stay
out, since there was nothing to do in the morning.

He felt that the Chinaman would not get in any trouble at the saloon,
since the miners all seemed to like him.

It was after midnight when Hop returned to the camp, and when he came he
sneaked in quietly.

But Cheyenne Charlie was awake, and he let him know that he heard him.

"You yaller