"Hold on!" the cowboy shouted. "It's all right, Young Wild West. I know who yer are now. I'll 'pologize. Don't shoot no more!" Crack! Again the boy fired, and then all three, knowing what was wanted of them, began to dance for all they were worth. Crack--crack! Cheyenne Charlie now took a hand in the game, and, while the girls and Jim Dart laughed merrily, the three cowboys did the "tenderfoot dance" in fine shape. Both Wild and the scout fired three or four shots apiece, and some of them took chips off the high heels of the boots the cowboys wore. "I reckon that will be about all," said our hero, as he ejected the shells from his revolver and then coolly proceeded to reload the chambers. "You galoots will know better the next time. I don't much like the looks of you, but I want to tell you that if you happen to take a notion to get square with us for what has happened you'll get the worst of it. I hope you understand what I say." The rascals--for they were undoubtedly such--did not stop to make a reply, but darted into the saloon. The Chinaman gave a parting laugh, and then, turning to the other Celestial, observed: "Me havee velly nallow escapee, my blother." "You allee samee velly muchee fool!" was the retort. "You allee timee lookee for um tanglefoot, so be." "Me havee two velly nicee lillee dlinks, my blother; you no havee." "Me no wantee," was the scornful rejoinder. It was Wing, the cook, who claimed he did not want any whisky. He was just a common, everyday Chinee, who did his work well and slept whenever he had nothing else to do, providing no one disturbed him. Hop, on the other hand, was one of the very shrewd and cunning ones of his race. Gifted with the art of sleight-of-hand, a lover of gambling and a fondness for playing jokes on people had made him a great character, indeed. But he was a real fixture to the party that Young Wild West led, and as he had on more than one occasion been the means of saving the lives of different members of it through his cleverness, he was thought a great deal of by them all, and many of his shortcomings were overlooked. Having disposed of the cowboys, Young Wild West now asked the keeper of the saloon if he thought there would be any objections to their pitching a camp somewhere around in the vicinity. "I reckon not," was the reply. "There ain't no one as lives here in Big Bonanza, what would 'ject ter anything like that. They've all heard tell about Young Wild West, I reckon, an' some of 'em says as how they've seen yer. Yer kin bet that yer will be welcome here! Jest help yourselves ter any spot yer want." "Thank you. I thought perhaps some one might raise objections--the three cowboys, for instance."