BigBonanza, and, as was usually the case, a little excitement had startedimmediately upon their arrival.
But none of our friends minded what had happened.
They were so used to meeting "bad men," as many of the miners andcowboys were proud to style themselves, that there was absolutelynothing new to it.
Meanwhile the miners were not long in reaching the saloon, and the storeadjacent to it.
Then it was only a few minutes before half a dozen were seen approachingthe spot where the two Chinamen had finished putting up the tents thatbelonged to the camping outfit.
"Hello, Young Wild West!" called out a big man, with a short, gray beardon his face. "How are yer? An' how's everybody with yer?"
"First rate," answered Wild, as he shook hands with the miner, butfailed to recognize him. "How are you?"
"Me? Oh, I'm fine! I've struck it rich here in ther wilds of Nevady, myboy! I'm ther prospector what started ther camp. I named her BigBonanza, an' it sartinly has been a big bonanza fur me. Beats minin' upin Weston, all right."
"Weston, eh?"
Then our hero remembered of having seen the man before.
The short, gray beard had changed his appearance wonderfully.
The miner was John Sedgwick, a former bartender at a hotel in the littletown in the Black Hills that had been named for our hero.
"Sedgwick, I didn't know you," he said, smiling at him. "What in theworld are you doing with that gray beard? It makes you look twenty yearsolder."
"Well, we ain't got no barber shop here yet, an' I never was much goodat shavin' myself, so I jest let ther beard grow. But what's ther odds?I'll shave up an' spruce up jest as soon as I've made my pile. Then I'lllight out fur home, an' me an' my wife will live on ther fat of therland. I've got nigh to a hundred thousand now, an' jest as soon as I gitit I'm goin' ter strike out fur ther East. Hello, Charlie! Hello, Jim!"
He now shook hands with our hero's partners, for they had recognized himas an old acquaintance the moment Wild spoke to him.
The girls had seen Sedgwick, too, and they greeted him warmly.
"Well," said the miner, "I reckon there ain't many here in Big Bonanzawhat ain't heard tell of Young Wild West an' his pards. I've kept therboys interested in tellin' 'em about ther wonderful things you've done.Come up an' shake hands with ther whitest boy what ever stuck his toe ina stirrup, boys!"
The last was addressed to the men who had come over with him, and theynow pressed forward eagerly.
Young Wild West sized them up quickly and made up his mind that theywere an honest lot, indeed.
He had come in contact with so many rough characters that he had made ita point to read faces and study character that way.
It was seldom that he made a mistake in his estimation of a man, either.
The miners seemed very glad to know the dashing young deadshot and hisfriends, and after they had talked awhile they, turned to make their wayto their shanties, so they might get their suppers.
As our hero followed Sedgwick a little way from the camp his glancehappened to turn toward the mouth of the narrow pass at the other sideof the valley.
"Where does that trail lend to, John?" he asked, pointing it out.
"That?" the miner queried, as he shook his head. "That trail leads terSilver Bend, which is another minin' camp a good deal bigger than thishere one. It's only ten miles from here by goin' through that pass. Butfew as know about ther pass goes that way. They would rather go aroundabout twenty-five miles, so they don't have ter go through it. Theycalls it 'Forbidden Pass,' yer know."
"Forbidden Pass, eh?"
Young Wild West looked interested.
"Yes, that's it."
"But what do they call it that for?"
"Well, there's a certain gang what belongs ter Silver Bend what runsthings their own way, an' they say that they've organized inter a gangof outlaws ter clean out them what travels through ther pass. They putup a sign at either end of ther pass, which is only about a mile an' ahalf long, ter let any one what kin read know that they're forbid ter gothrough. If they do go through they have ter git robbed; that's all. Tersave trouble an' money ther most of folks would rather go around therother way, or else keep away from Silver Bend, that's all."
"Well, that sounds pretty good, I think, Sedgwick. I reckon I'll have togo through that pass, just to see what will happen."
"I knowed you would say that, Wild. But if I was you I wouldn't botherabout it. They're a bad lot, an' no mistake--ther men what runs thingsin that pass. They say there's about twenty of 'em, an' that ther mostof 'em is tough cowboys what have been forced ter light out fur stealin'cattle an' sich like. Though there ain't any doubt that some of 'emlives right in Silver Bend, no one knows who they are. They're a mightybad lot, an' since there ain't no chance of catchin' 'em, on account ofther many caves what's along on either side of ther pass, they've beendoin' business there ever since we opened up ther camp, here, an' amighty good business they've done, too."
"That seems a little strange," and our hero shook his head. "What sortof people are they over in Silver Bend?"
"Oh, about ther same as anywheres else, I s'pose. But I've heard saythat it's ther fault of them what's in charge of affairs over there. Itmight be that some of 'em is in with ther outlaws of ther ForbiddenPass."
"It might be, that's true. Well, Sedgwick, you can bet that I am goingthrough that pass! I want to meet this gang of robbers, just to see ifthey are any different from any other robbers I've come across. Howabout it, boys?"
Wild turned and looked at Cheyenne Charlie and Jim Dart as he said thelast.
"Yer kin bet your life we'll go through ther blamed old pass!" the scoutanswered, while Dart nodded, as though it was a matter of course.
"I knowed it!" exclaimed Sedgwick. "Ther minute I heard you was here Iknow'd that you'd be fur goin' through ther Forbidden Pass. It struckme, first off that you'd come here jest fur that very, purpose."
"No," answered our hero, shaking his head. "We never heard of ForbiddenPass. But we are mighty glad to hear of it now, I reckon. Sedgwick, youknow pretty well what we think of gangs of outlaws, and the like."
"I do," was the reply. "If you start after 'em once, you always land 'emtoo."
"Well, we'll start after this gang, then. You can bet that we'll comemighty near landing them, too!"
"I'm sure of that, Wild."
"Say!" said our hero, as the miners started again to go. "Didn't you saythat the outlaws consist of cowboys who have been forced to light outfrom the ranches they worked upon?"
"Yes, that's what I heard over in Silver Bend."
"Well, there are three cowboys over at the saloon now. I've sized themup pretty well, and it strikes me now that they might belong to thatgang. Anyhow, I am sure that they are no good."
"I saw them galoots, Wild. I don't know who they are. But they seemed tobe mighty respectful. Hoker, ther saloon keeper, was tryin' ter tell mehow you had some fun with 'em an' made 'em understand that they couldn'tdo as they pleased. But I was so anxious ter git over here an' see yerthat I didn't pay much attention. I s'pose I'll have a chance ter talkto yer after supper?"
"Oh, yes. We'll take a walk over to the saloon. I'll ask the cowboysabout the outlaws of Forbidden Pass, too."
The miners now left and returned to their respective homes.
"Well, Wild, I suppose you are very glad to learn all this," saidArietta, as our hero walked back to where the girls were standing.
She, as well as the rest, had heard all that was said, and her face nowwore a smile as she looked at her dashing young lover.
"Yes, Et, I am glad to know that there is a place here that is forbiddento travelers. You know very well that it would only make me more anxiousto do a thing if I was told that I must not do it. I am certainly goingthrough Forbidden Pass!"
"Well, I don't blame you, Wild."
The girl possessed a spirit of fearlessness, and she was not the one toadvise Wild to show himself afraid of any gang of outlaws.
> "I reckon we've struck a blamed funny sort of camp, all right," remarkedthe scout, as he pulled the ends of his long mustache. "It couldn't havebeen better if we'd been lookin' up somethin' that was ter be good an'excitin', could it?"
"Hardly," answered Jim.
"Well, never mind