"I reckon that's what I call putty good," said the scout, a smile creeping over his bronzed face. "'Private Road,' eh? Well, I wonder who is ther owner of it!" "We'll find out all about it, Charlie," said Wild, assuringly. "Just wait till to-morrow morning. We'll take a ride through the pass, and don't you forget it!" "Well, it might be that yer won't be bothered now, fur it's jest likely that ther outlaws has quit ther pass an' gone somewhere else," Sedgwick remarked. "If them cowboys is all right, an' they kin go through without bein' bothered, it are most likely that you fellers kin." "But I don't believe they are all right," our hero answered. "I think that they belong to the outlaw gang, and that they came over here and talked that way just on purpose to get the people here to use the pass, instead of going by the roundabout way to Silver Bend." "It looks that way, I'll admit, Wild." "Well, no matter how it is, we'll go through the pass to-morrow, I reckon. And we'll come back, too, if it takes a whole day to do it." It was just then that the sounds made by a approaching horse came to their ears. "Somebody is coming through now," said the scout, as he listened. "Get behind the rocks here," Wild whispered. "We will watch him as he goes past, and see what he does, if anything." A few seconds later a horseman came in view. Our friends could distinguish the outlines of both horse and rider, and when they saw the man halt right at the end of the pass they were not a little interested. The rider turned and looked at the sign, and, nodding when he found that the sign was there all right, he started on for the little collection of shanties. "That's Cap Roche, ther storekeeper over in Silver Bend," Sedgwick whispered, as he went on. "Is that so?" Wild queried. "Well, I reckon we'll go back to the saloon and find out what kind of a fellow Cap Roche is." CHAPTER V. CAP ROCHE MEETS YOUNG WILD WEST. Chuck Snivel was not long in telling Cap Roche all that had taken place over in Big Bonanza. The face of the leader of the outlaws wore a troubled look as he listened, and when the man was through he shook his head and said: "I reckon I'll have to go over and have a look at this dangerous boy, boys. I have heard of him, and I have reason to believe that he is a hard one to beat. Though he is mighty young, he has spent his time looking for trouble ever since he was big enough to shoot a gun, and he has had so much luck that I suppose now he thinks that he is invincible." "He's a regular terror, Cap," spoke up Bob. "I know what I'm talkin' about. I've seen him, an' I've seen what he could do. He's jest as cool as a chunk of ice, an' yer can't no more scare him than yer kin a mad grizzly. If he's after us you kin bet that he'll git us, unless he's catched afore he gits a good start on."