Charlie was
right there to greet her.

The girl did not say a word, however, but motioned for the scout to get
behind a rock that was close at hand.

She darted after him as he obeyed her, and then out came the foremost of
the men who were chasing her.

Crack!

The scout fired without any hesitation and down went the villain in a
heap.

But his action checked the others from coming out, and the curtain went
down in a jiffy.

Arietta's action in lifting it had caused the log to fall and pull it up
to its full height.

"That's putty good, I reckon," said Charlie, smiling grimly. "Is Wild
all right, Arietta?"

"He is safe for the present, I think," was the girl's reply. "They are
waiting for the captain to come. He won't be here until some time after
dinner, so there is a good chance of saving Wild."

"If that's ther case, I reckon there'll he a good chance, fur ther
captain will never git here!"

There was no mistaking the meaning of Cheyenne Charlie just then.

Cap Roche's life was surely in danger if he showed up in Forbidden Pass
that day!

"Take him alive, Charlie," advised Arietta, "Where are Jim and the
girls?"

"Right back there a little ways," was the reply. "But you jest leave it
ter me ter settle with Cap Roche. I'll show ther two-faced galoot what's
what!"

Arietta said no more, but hurried through the pass in the direction
Charlie had indicated.

She found the rest waiting for her, for they had heard the shot, and had
seen her with Charlie.

"Is Wild all right?" Dart asked, anxiously.

"Yes, for a while, anyhow," was the reply as Anna and Eloise both tried
to embrace her at one time.

She quickly let them know the situation, and then she turned her
attention to the spot where Charlie was in waiting for the outlaws to
show themselves.

The scout's blood was up now, and she knew quite well that he would
shoot the villains as fast as they showed themselves.

Ten minutes passed by, and no one showed up.

Charlie was waiting patiently, however.

He was confident that one of the outlaws would want to get out to see
what had happened to the fellow that followed in pursuit of the escaping
girl.

But Charlie did not know that the villains had a peephole in that
cleverly contrived curtain, and that they had already looked through it
and learned that their comrade was dead on the ground.

To say that the outlaws were enraged at what had happened would be
putting it mildly.

The girl