bottom he felt certain the desperadoes would have considerable
trouble in getting to the top.

"Come with me," he said to the second fellow. "And no monkey shines, if
you know when you are well off."

"Wot yer goin' to do wid me?" growled the desperado.

"You'll see. Your blood is so hot it needs cooling off," answered the
old scout.

He forced the man along, and soon the big hole was reached. Much against
his will, the rascal was forced to drop to the bottom.

"Now, if you try to climb up I'll shoot you," said Benson, and ran back
swiftly to where the second rascal was just getting out of his
unconscious state.

Before the other desperado could realize what was coming he, too, was
down in the big hole. Old Benson made certain that each of the men was
relieved of all his weapons.

"Now, I'm going to keep watch on you," he said, as a warning. "Be
careful of what you try to do."

"Don't leave us here!" pleaded Riley. "A buffalo or a bear might fall in
on us."

"You've got to take your chances on that," answered Benson.

The next movement of the old scout was to go back to where the third man
was sleeping. It was an easy matter to secure all the weapons belonging
to this fellow. Then Benson procured a rope from their outfit, and bound
his feet together and then his hands. During the latter operation the
rascal awoke.

"Wot yer doin'?" he demanded sleepily, and then, seeing the old scout,
stared in open-mouthed astonishment. "Let go o' me! Wot did yer tie me
up fer?"

"You keep quiet," said Benson, with a broad smile over the trick he had
played.

"Whar's Riley an' Nason?"

"Not far off."

"Did they go ter sleep too?"

"You can ask them when you see them, Anderson."

"So you know me, do yer?"

"I do, and I haven't forgotten that affair at Mountain Meadow," went on
old Benson, referring to a shooting in which Anderson had been the
guilty party.

At these words the desperado winced.

"Well, now ye have got me fast, wot yer goin' to do with me?" he
questioned.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, Anderson, and I want you to
answer me straight, too. If I learn you've given it to me crooked, I'll
fix you for it, remember that."

"Wot do yer want to know?"

"Where are Gilroy and the rest of your crowd stopping?"

"Wot do yer want to know that fur?"

"Answer the question--and tell me the truth," and old Benson looked
sternly at his prisoner.

"At a cave near Bald Top," returned Anderson su