Young Wild West at Forbidden Pass | Page 5

be the leading place in the camp.
But as the store was very near to it, it might be that some of the men
were bound there.
Having satisfied themselves that it was a very nice, little mining camp,
our friends turned to and assisted the Chinamen to get things in shape.
They did not intend to remain there any longer to get a rest than for a
day or two, but they were always interested when they struck a spot
where gold dust was being taken out.
No end of good luck had followed them in their search for gold, and
Arietta, the charming sweetheart of the dashing young deadshot, had
the lead over them all, as far as making discoveries that were profitable
to them were concerned.
But it was nothing more than chance that had brought them to Big
Bonanza, and, as was usually the case, a little excitement had started
immediately 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 and
cowboys were proud to style themselves, that there was absolutely
nothing new to it.
Meanwhile the miners were not long in reaching the saloon, and the
store adjacent to it.
Then it was only a few minutes before half a dozen were seen
approaching the spot where the two Chinamen had finished putting up
the tents that belonged to the camping outfit.
"Hello, Young Wild West!" called out a big man, with a short, gray
beard on his face. "How are yer? An' how's everybody with yer?"
"First rate," answered Wild, as he shook hands with the miner, but
failed to recognize him. "How are you?"
"Me? Oh, I'm fine! I've struck it rich here in ther wilds of Nevady, my
boy! I'm ther prospector what started ther camp. I named her Big
Bonanza, an' it sartinly has been a big bonanza fur me. Beats minin' up
in 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 little
town in the Black Hills that had been named for our hero.
"Sedgwick, I didn't know you," he said, smiling at him. "What in the
world are you doing with that gray beard? It makes you look twenty
years older."
"Well, we ain't got no barber shop here yet, an' I never was much good
at 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'll light
out fur home, an' me an' my wife will live on ther fat of ther land. I've
got nigh to a hundred thousand now, an' jest as soon as I git it 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
him as 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 Bonanza
what ain't heard tell of Young Wild West an' his pards. I've kept ther
boys 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
in a stirrup, boys!"
The last was addressed to the men who had come over with him, and
they now pressed forward eagerly.
Young Wild West sized them up quickly and made up his mind that
they were an honest lot, indeed.
He had come in contact with so many rough characters that he had
made it a 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
his friends, and after they had talked awhile they, turned to make their
way to their shanties, so they might get their suppers.
As our hero followed Sedgwick a little way from the camp his glance
happened to turn toward the mouth of the narrow pass at the other side
of 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 ter
Silver Bend, which is another minin' camp a good deal bigger than this

here one. It's only ten miles from here by goin' through that pass. But
few as know about ther pass goes that way. They would rather go
around about twenty-five miles, so they don't have