what I SEEN was the
road ahead of me and that car of Smilin' Lou's standin' in the middle
of it. He had a gun pulled on me, mind yuh--and you can ask anybody if
a feller feels like rubberin' much when there's only the click of a
trigger between him an' a six-foot hole in the ground."

"All the more reason," said Nolan, also sitting up with his hands
clasped around his knees, "why it's important to catch them with the
goods. You'll have to peddle hootch, Casey, until we get Smiling Lou
and his outfit."

"And where, Mr. Nolan, do I git the booze to peddle?" asked Casey
practically.

Nolan laughed to himself. "It can be bought," he said, "but I'd rather
not. Since you've never monkeyed with the stuff, it might make you
conspicuous if you went around buying up a load of hootch. And of
course I can't appear in this thing at all. But I have what I think is
a very good plan."

Casey looked at him inquiringly, and again Nolan laughed.

"Nothing for it, Casey,--we'll have to locate a still and rob it. That,
or make some of our own, which takes time. And it's an unpleasant,
messy job anyway."

Casey stared dubiously down into the gulch. "That'd be fine, Mr.
Nolan, if we knew where was the still. Or mebby yuh do know."

Mack Nolan shook his head. "No, I don't, worse luck. I haven't been
long enough in the district to know as much about it as I hope to know
later on. Prospecting for this headquarters took a little time; and
getting my stuff moved in here secretly took more time. A week ago,
Casey, I shouldn't have been quite ready to use you. But you came when
you were needed, and so--I feel sure the White Mule will presently show
up."

Casey lifted his head and stared meditatively out across the immensity
of the empty land around them.

"She's a damn' big country, Mr. Nolan. I dunno," he remarked
doubtfully. "But Casey Ryan has yet t' go after a thing an' fail t'
git it. I guess if it's hootch we want, it ought t' be easy enough t'
find; it shore has been hard t' dodge it lately! If yuh want White
Mule, Mr. Nolan, you send Casey out travelin' peaceful an' meanin' harm
t' nobody. Foller Casey and you'll find 'im tangled up with a mess uh
hootch b'fore he gits ten miles from camp."

"You could go out and highjack some one." Nolan agreed, taking him
seriously--which Casey had not intended. "I think we'll go down and
load the camp outfit into my car, Ryan, and I'll start you out. Go up
into your old stam