The boy had said enough to convince them of that.
It was a little more than half way through the pass that time three villains, who had posed as cowboys at Big Bonanza, came to a halt.
They looked cautiously in both directions, and, not seeing a sign of a human being, Chuck Snivel nodded his head and exclaimed:
"I reckon everything's all right, boys. Come ahead!"
Then he turned and rode sharply to the left, to what seemed to be a solid wall of rock.
Reaching out his hand, he grasped a rope that was hidden beneath some hanging vines.
A sharp pull on this and up rolled a curtain, leaving an opening that was large enough for a horse and rider to pass through.
The curtain was made of some flexible material and was painted to imitate the rock that was on either side and above it.
Snivel rode in the opening and his companions followed him.
Once inside they all dismounted, and then Snivel walked over to the edge of the entrance and lifted a log that was lying there to an almost upright position, leaning it against a rock.