t you do," said Roche, as Hop proceeded to put the
articles back where they had been taken from. "You get your money at the
camp and bring that here, too."

Allee light, Misler Outlaw, replied Hop. "You will havee um cigar?"

He tendered one and, taking it, the outlaw looked at it suspiciously and
then cut off the end with his bowie knife.

Hop lighted one, too, and then he stood still.

"Me allee samee forgittee whattee you say," he said, as he looked
puzzled.

Cap Roche went over it again.

"Oh, allee light. Me understand."

The cigar he had given the villain was a good one, and he puffed away at
it with no little satisfaction, since it served to soothe his nerves
somewhat.

Hop took occasion to drop the dead mouse in the pocket of the man who
was standing at the side of Wild to prevent his possible escape, and
then he turned to go.

But he came back again, and, looking at the villain he had played the
trick on he said:

"You takee my tanglefoot and allee samee puttee in your pockee; me
wantee."

As it was Roche who had appropriated the flask, the man shook his head
and grinned.

"See here!" exclaimed the leader, angrily. "You ought to be satisfied
that I didn't take more than the whisky. You've got your mouse, so go on
and do your errand."

"Oh!" cried Hop, his face lighting up. "Now me know. You takee um
tanglefoot, and lis man takee my mousee! He allee samee goatee in um
pockee."

Instinctively the outlaw put his hand in his pocket, and the first thing
his fingers came in contact with was the dead mouse.

He uttered a cry and pulled it out.

"Hip hi!" yelled Hop, as he ran for the mouth of the cave.

But the outlaw was just mad enough to run and catch him before he got to
the curtain.

"Here," said Hop, "me givee you lis. Allee samee diamond ling inside.
Lettee poor Chinee go!"

It was one of the oblong, little packages that he handed to the man,
and, letting the mouse drop, he took it and walked back to those in the
big cave.

But he did not notice that a tiny spark was working its way along what
seemed to be a string on the package.

The fact was that it was one of his patent firecrackers that Hop had
given him.

Just as he joined the rest at the table the thing exploded with a noise
like that of a shotgun.

"Ow! Murder!" yelled the outlaw, for his hand was burned by the
operation.

Then he danced about like a wild man, while the prisoners were forced to
laugh, in spite of thei