you."

"Oh, it's a free country, I reckon."

"Don't you believe it!"

"What's Toot gwine to do?"

"I don't know, but he'll hatch out some'n."

Westerfelt's horse had been standing on the side of a little slope, and
the soft earth suddenly gave way beneath his hind feet, and in
regaining a firm footing he made a considerable noise. There was
nothing now for Westerfelt to do but to put a bold face on the matter.

"Get up," he said, guiding his horse down towards the men.

"Halt!" commanded one of the moonshiners. All three of them were now
huddled behind the wagon.

"Hello!" answered Westerfelt, drawing rein; "I'm lookin' for an iron
gray, flea-bitten horse that strayed away from the livery-stable this
morning; have you fellows seen anything of him?"

"No, I hain't." This in a dogged tone from a slouched hat just above a
whiskey barrel.

There was a pause.

"I don't think anybody could have taken him," continued Westerfelt,
pleasantly.

"Hain't seed 'im." The speaker struck the wagon-bed with his rifle as
he was trying to put it down behind the barrels without being seen.

"The left hand road leads to town, I believe?" said Westerfelt, riding
away.

"Yes, but take the right at the next fork."

About half a mile farther on he saw two horsemen, approaching. When
quite near they stopped.

"Howdy' do?" said one, eying Westerfelt suspiciously.

"How are you?" answered Westerfelt.

"We are revenue men; we're after a couple o' men and a wagon loaded
with whiskey. Seen anything of them?"

Westerfelt was silent. The revenue officer who had spoken rested his
elbow on his thigh and leaned towards him.

"Looky' here," he said, deliberately; "we don't know one another, but
there may be no harm in tellin' you if you try to throw us off the
track you lay yoreself liable to complicity. We've had about as much
o' that sort o' treatment round heer as we are going to put up with."

"I'm not on the witness-stand," said Westerfelt, pleasantly; "I'm only
looking for a stray horse."

"Let's go on," said the other Officer to his companion. "We are on the
right road; he's seed 'em ur he'd a-denied it. Let's not lose time."

"I'm with you," was the reply; then to Westerfelt: "You are right, you
hain't on the witness-stand, but ef we wanted to we could mighty easy
arrest you on suspicion and march you back to jail to be questioned by
the inspectors."

Westerfelt smiled, "You'd have to feed me at the expense