He did not stop them, however, and they rode away straight for the narrow pass at the other side of the pleasant little valley the camp was located in.
Not until they saw the three men disappear in the pass did our friends go into the saloon.
But let us follow the cowboys and find out something more about them.
When our hero had said that they might belong to the outlaws of Forbidden Pass he had hit the nail right on the head.
The fact was that there was a gang of eighteen villains located in the pass, and these three had been picked by the leader to ride to Big Bonanza for the sole purpose of leading the miners to believe that there was no longer any danger for travelers to go through that way when they wanted to go to Silver Bend.
During the time the trio was in the saloon they had been talking in this way, and they had partly made Hoker, the proprietor, believe that there was something in what they said.
The man Wild had treated so roughly bore the name of Chuck Snivel, and he was a sort of lieutenant of the band.
The leader of the outlaws was a scheming man of a fair education, who was called Cap Roche.
This villain owned a store in Silver Bend and was also the postmaster there.
He divided his time with his lawless band and the store, and, being well thought of in the mining camp, he had all the chance in the world to pursue his villainy and profit greatly from it.