,,the ,,trail ,,of ,,the ,,white ,,mule 
by  ,b4 ,m4 ,bower     ,,chapter ,,one  
,casey ,ryan1 hunched behind the wheel  
of a large1 dark blue touring car with a
 kinked front fender and the glass gone 
from the left  headlight1 slid out from 
the halted traffic1 shied sharply away  
from a hysterically clanging street car1
 crossed the path of a huge red truck   
coming in from his right1 missed it with
 two inches to spare and was halfway    
down the block before the traffic       
officer overtook him4  ,the traffic     
officer was ,irish too1 and bigger than 
,casey1 and madder4 ,for all that1      
,casey offered to lick the livin' tar   
outa him before accepting a pale1       
expensive ticket which he crumbled and  
put into his pocket without looking at  
it4  ,what ,i know about these here     
fancy city rules ain't sufficient to    
give a horn-toad a headache--but it's a 
darn sight more'n ,i care1 ,casey       
declaimed hotly4  ,i never was asked    
what ,i thought of them tin signs you   

stick up on the end of a telegraft pole1
 to tell folks when to go an' when to   
quit goin'4  ,mebby it's all right fer  
these here city drivers--  ,this'll mean
 thirty days for you1 spluttered the    
officer4  ,i ought to call the patrol   
right now--  ,get the undertaker on the 
line first6  ,casey advised him         
ominously4  ,traffic was piling up      
behind them1 and horns were honking a   
blatant chorus that extended two blocks 
up the street4  ,the traffic officer    
glanced into the troubled gray eyes of  
the ,little ,woman beside ,casey and    
took his foot off the running board4    
,better go put up your bail and then    
forfeit it1 he advised in a milder tone4
  ,the judge will probably remember you2
 ,i do1 and my memory ain't the best in 
the world4  ,twice you've been hooked   
for speeding through traffic2 and       
parking by fire-plugs and in front of   
the ,no ,park signs and after four1     
seems to be your big outdoor sport4     
,forfeit your bail1 old boy--or it's    

thirty days for you1 sure4  ,casey ,ryan
 made bitter retort1 but the traffic cop
 had gone to untangle two furious ,fords
 from a horse-drawn mail wagon1 so he   
did not hear4 ,which was good luck for  
,casey4  ,why do you persist in making  
trouble for yourself8 the ,little ,woman
 beside him exclaimed4 ,it can't be so  
hard to obey the rules2 other drivers   
do4  ,i know that ,i have driven this   
car all over town without any trouble   
whatever4  ,casey hogged the next       
safety-zone line to the deep disgust of 
a young movie star in a cream-and-silver
 racer1 and pulled in to the curb just  
where he could not be passed4  ,all     
right1 ma'am4  ,you can drive1 then4    
,he slid out of the driver's seat to the
 pavement1 his face a deeper shade of   
red than usual4  ,for pity's sake1      
,casey6  ,don't be silly1 his wife cried
 sharply1 a bit of panic in her voice4  
,you was in a hurry to git home1 ,casey 
pointed out to her with that mildness of
 manner which is not mild4  ,i was      

hurryin'1 wasn't ,i8  ,you aren't       
hurrying now--you're delaying the       
traffic again4  ,do be reasonable6  ,you
 know it costs money to argue with the  
police4  ,police be damned6  ,i'm tryin'
 to please a woman1 an' ,i'm up agin a  
hard proposition4  ,you can ask anybody 
if ,i'm the unreasonable one4 ,you      
hustled me out of the show soon as the  
huggin' commenced4  ,you wouldn't even  
let me stay to see the first of ,mutt   
and ,jeff4  ,you said you was in a      
hurry4  ,i leaves the show without      
seein' the best part1 gits the car an'  
drills through the traffic tryin' to git
 yuh home quick4  ,now you're kickin'   
because ,i did hurry4  ,hey6  ,whadda   
yuh mean1 blockin' the traffic8 a       
domineering voice behind him bellowed4  
,this ain't any reception hall1 and it  
ain't no free auto park neither4        
,another traffic officer with another   
pencil and another pad of tickets such  
as drivers dread to see began to write  
down the number of ,casey's car4  ,this 

man did not argue4  ,he finished his    
work briskly1 presented another notice  
which advised ,casey ,ryan to report    
immediately to police headquarters1     
waved ,casey peremptorily to proceed1   
and returned to his little square       
platform to the chorus of blatting      
automobile horns4  ,the cops in this    
town hands out tickets like they was    
,free ,excursion peddlers6 snorted      
,casey1 his eyes a pale glitter behind  
his half-closed lids4  ,they can go     
around me1 or they can honk and be      
darned to 'em4 ,git behind the wheel1   
ma'am--,casey ,ryan's drove the last    
inch he'll ever drive in this darned    
town4 ,if they pinch me again1 it'll    
have to be fer walkin'4  ,the ,little   
,woman looked at him1 pressed her lips  
together and moved behind the wheel4    
,she did not say a word all the way out 
to the white apartment house on ,vermont
 which held the four rooms they called  
home4 ,she parked the car dexterously in
 front and led the way to their         

apartment 7ground floor1 front7 before  
she looked at me4  ,it's coming to a    
show-down1 ,jack1 she said then with a  
faint smile4 ,he's on probation already 
for disobeying traffic rules of one sort
 and other1 and his fines cost more than
 the entire upkeep of the car4 ,i think 
he really will have to go to jail this  
time4  ,it just isn't in ,casey ,ryan to
 take orders from any one1 especially   
when his own personal habits of driving 
a car are concerned4  ,town life is     
getting on his nerves1 ,i tried to      
defend ,casey1 and at the same time to  
comfort the ,little ,woman4  ,i didn't  
think it would work1 his coming here to 
live1 with nothing to do but spend      
money4 ,this is the inevitable result of
 too much money and too much leisure4   
,it sounds much better1 putting it that 
way1 murmured ,mrs4 ,casey4 ,i think    
you're right--though he did behave back 
there as if it were too much matrimony4 
,jack1 he's been looking forward to your
 visit4  ,i'm sorry this has happened to

 spoil it4  ,it isn't spoiled1 ,i       
grinned4 ,casey ,ryan is1 always and    
ever shall be ,casey ,ryan4  ,he's      
running true to form1 though tamer than 
one would expect4  ,when do you think   
he'll show up8  ,mrs4 ,casey did not    
know4  ,she ventured a guess or two1 but
 there was no conviction in her tone4   
,with two nominal arrests in five       
minutes chalked against him1 and with   
his first rebellion against the ,little 
,woman to rankle in his conscience and  
memory1 she owned herself at a loss4    
,with a cheerfulness that was only      
conversation deep1 we waited for ,casey 
and finally ate supper without him4     
,the evening was enlivened somewhat by  
,babe's chatter of kindergarten doings2 
and was punctuated by certain pauses    
while steps on the sidewalk passed on or
 ended with the closing of another door 
than the ,ryans'4  ,i fought the impulse
 to call up the police station1 and ,i  
caught the eyes of the ,little ,woman   
straying unconsciously to the telephone 

in the hall while she talked of things  
remote from our inner thoughts4         
,margaret ,ryan is game1 ,i'll say that4
  ,we played cribbage for an hour or    
two1 and the ,little ,woman beat me     
until finally ,i threw up my hands and  
quit4  ,i can't stand it any longer1    
,mrs4 ,casey4  ,do you think he's in    
jail1 or just sulking at a movie        
somewhere8 ,i blurted4  ,forgive my     
butting in1 but ,i wish you'd talk about
 it4  ,you know you can1 to me4  ,casey 
,ryan is a friend and more than a       
friend3 he's a pet theory of mine--a    
fad1 if you prefer to call him that4  ,i
 consider him a perfect example of human
 nature in its unhampered1 unbiased     
state1 going straight through life      
without deviating a hair's breadth from 
the viewpoint of youth4  ,a fighter and 
a castle builder2 a sort of rough-edged 
,peter ,pan4 ,till he gums soft food and
 hobbles with a stick because the years 
have warped his back and his legs1      
,casey ,ryan will keep that indefinable1

 bubbling optimism of spiritual youth4  
,so tell me all about him4  ,i want to  
know who has licked1 so far2 luxury or  
,casey ,ryan4  ,the ,little ,woman      
laughed and picked up the cards1 evening
 their edges with sensitive fingers that
 had not been manicured so beautifully  
when first ,i saw them4  ,well-sir1 she 
drawled1 making one word of the two and 
failing to keep a little twitching from 
her lips1 ,i think it's been about a    
tie1 so far4  ,as a husband--,casey's a 
darned good bachelor4  ,her chuckle     
robbed that statement of anything       
approaching criticism4  ,aside from his 
insisting on cooking breakfast every    
morning and feeding me in bed1 forcing  
me to eat fried eggs and sour-dough     
hotcakes swimming in butter and         
honey--when ,i crave grapefruit and thin
 toast and one ,french lamb chop with a 
white paper frill on the handle and     
garnished with fresh parsley--he's the  
soul of consideration4  ,he wants four  
kinds of jam on the table every meal1   

when fresh fruit is going to waste4     
,he's bullied the laundryman until the  
poor fellow's reached the point where he
 won't stop if the car's parked in front
 and ,casey's liable to be home2 but    
aside from that1 ,casey's all right4    
,after serving time in the desert and   
rustling my own wood and living on bacon
 and beans and sour-dough bread1  ,i'm  
perfectly willing to spend the rest of  
my life doing painless housekeeping with
 all the modern built-in features ever  
invented2 and buying my bread and cakes 
and salads from the delicatessen around 
the corner4  ,i never want to see a     
sagebush again as long as ,i live1 or   
feel the crunch of gravel under my feet4
  ,i expect to die in ,french-heeled    
pumps and embroidered silk stockings and
 the finest1 silliest silk things ever  
put in a show window to tempt the soul  
of a woman4  ,but it took just two weeks
 and three days to drive ,casey back to 
his sour-dough can4  ,he craved luxury  
more than you seemed to do1 ,i          

remembered aloud4  ,he did1 yes4  ,but  
his idea of luxury is sitting down in   
the kitchen to a real meal of beans and 
biscuits and all the known varieties of 
jam and those horrible whitewashed store
 cookies and having the noise of the    
phonograph drowned every five minutes by
 a passing street car4 ,casey wants four
 movies a day1 and he wants them all    
funny4  ,he brings home silk shirts with
 the stripes fairly shrieking when he   
unwraps them--and he has to be thrown   
and tied to get a collar on him4  ,he   
will get up at any hour of the night to 
chase after a fire engine1 and every    
whipstitch he gets pinched for doing    
something which is perfectly lawful and 
right in the desert and perfectly awful 
in the city4  ,you saw him1 said the    
,little ,woman1 to-day4  ,and she added 
wistfully1 ,it's the first time since we
 were married that he has ever talked   
back--to me4  ,and you know1 she went   
on1 shuffling the cards and stopping to 
regard the joker attentively 7though ,i 

am sure she didn't know what card she   
was looking at71 just chasing around    
town and doing nothing but square       
yourself for not playing according to   
the rules costs money without getting   
you anywhere4  ,fifty-five thousand     
dollars isn't so much just to play with1
 in this town4 ,casey's highest ambition
 now seems to be nickel disk wheels on a
 new racing car that can make the speed 
cops go some to catch him4 ,his idea of 
economy is to put six or seven thousand 
dollars into a car that will enable him 
to outrun a twenty-dollar fine6  ,we    
have some money invested1 she went on4  
,we own this apartment house--and       
fortunately it's in my name4  ,so long  
as the housing problem continues        
critical1 ,i think ,i can keep ,casey   
going without spending our last cent4   
,he did one good stroke of business1 ,i 
ventured1 when he bought this place4    
,apartment houses are good as gold mines
 these days4  ,the ,little ,woman       
laughed4 ,well-sir1 it wasn't so much a 

stroke as it was a wallop4  ,casey      
bought it just to show who was boss1 he 
or the landlord4  ,the first thing he   
did when we moved in was to take down   
the nicely framed rules that said we    
must not cook cabbage nor onions nor    
fish1 nor play music after ten o'clock  
at night1 nor do any loud talking in the
 halls4  ,every day for a week ,casey   
cooked cabbage1 onions and fish4  ,he   
sat up nights to play the graphophone4  
,he stayed home to talk loudly and play 
bucking bronk with ,babe all up and down
 the stairs and in the halls4 ,our rent 
was paid for a month in advance1 and the
 landlord was too little and old to     
fight4  ,so he sold out cheap--and it   
really was a good stroke of business for
 us1 though not deliberate4  ,well-sir1 
at first we lost tenants who didn't     
enjoy the freedom of their neighbors'   
homes4  ,but really1 ,jack1 you'd be    
surprised to know how many people in    
this city just ,,love cabbage and onions
 and fish1 and to have children they    

needn't disown whenever they go         
house-hunting4 ,i had ventilator hoods  
put over every gas range in the house1  
and turned the back yard into a         
playground with plenty of sand piles and
 swings4 ,i raised the price1 too1 and  
made the place look very select1 with a 
roof garden for the grown-ups4  ,we have
 the house filled now with really nice  
families--avoiding the garlic brand--and
 as an investment ,i wouldn't ask for   
anything better4  ,casey enjoyed himself
 hugely while he was whipping things    
into shape1 but the last month he's been
 going stale4  ,the tenants are all so  
thankful to do as they please that      
they're excruciatingly polite to him1 no
 matter what he does or says4  ,he's    
tired of the beaches and he has begun to
 cuss the long1 smooth roads that are   
signed so that he couldn't get lost if  
he tried4  ,it does seem as if there's  
no interest left in anything1 unless he 
can get a kick out of going to jail4    
,and1 ,jack1 ,i do believe he's gone    

there4  ,the telephone rang and the     
,little ,woman excused herself and went 
into the hall1 closing the door softly  
behind her4  ,i'm not greatly given to  
reminiscence1 but while ,i sat and      
watched the flames of civilization      
licking tamely at the impregnable iron  
bark of the gas logs1 the eyes of my    
memory looked upon a picture3  ,desert1 
empty and with the mountains standing   
back against the sky1 the great dipper  
uptilted over a peak and the stars      
bending close for very friendliness4    
,the licking flames of dry greasewood   
burning1 with a pungent odor in my      
nostrils when the wind blew the smoke my
 way4 ,the far-off hooting of an owl1   
perched somewhere on a juniper branch   
watching for mice2 and ,casey ,ryan     
sitting cross-legged in the sand1       
squinting humorously at me across the   
fire while he talked4  ,i saw him1 too1 
bolting a hurried breakfast under a     
mesquite tree in the chill before       
sunrise1 his mind intent upon the trail2

 facing the desert and its hardships as 
a matter of course1 with never a thought
 that other men would shrink from the   
ordeal4  ,i saw him kneeling before a   
solid face of rock in a shallow cut in  
the hillside1 swinging his single-jack  
with tireless rhythm2 a tap and a turn  
of the steel1 a tap and a turn--chewing 
tobacco industriously and stopping now  
and then to pry off a fresh bit from the
 plug in his hip pocket before he       
reached for the spoon to muck out the   
hole he was drilling4  ,i saw him       
larruping in his ,ford along a sandy1   
winding trail it would break a snake's  
back to follow1 hot on the heels of his 
next adventure1 dreaming of the fortune 
that finally came4 4 4 4  ,the ,little  
,woman came in looking as if she had    
been talking with ,destiny and was still
 dazed and unsteady from the meeting4   
,well-sir1 he's gone6 she announced1 and
 stopped and tried to smile4 ,but her   
eyes looked hurt and sorry4  ,he has    
bought a ,ford and a tent and outfit    

since he left us down on ,seventh and   
,broadway1 and he just called me up on  
long-distance from ,san ,bernardino4    
,he's going out on a prospecting trip1  
he says4  ,i'll say he's been going     
some6  ,a speed cop overhauled him just 
the other side of ,claremont1 he told   
me1 and he was delayed for a few minutes
 while he licked the cop and kicked him 
and his motorcycle into a ditch4  ,he   
says he's sorry he sassed me1 and if ,i 
can drive a car in this darned town and 
not spend all my loose change paying    
fines1 ,i'm a better man than he is4    
,he doesn't know when he'll be back--and
 there you are4  ,she sat down wearily  
on the arm of an over-stuffed armchair  
and looked up at the gilt-and-onyx clock
 which ,i suspected ,casey of having    
bought4 ,if he isn't lynched before     
morning1 she sighed whimsically1 he'll  
probably make it to the ,nevada line all
 right4  ,i rose1 also glancing at the  
clock4  ,but the ,little ,woman put up a
 hand to forbid the plan she read in my 

mind4  ,let him alone1 ,jack1 she       
advised4  ,let him go and be just as    
wild and devilish as he wants to be4    
,i'm only thankful he can take it out on
 a ,ford and a pick and shovel4  ,there 
really isn't any trouble between us two4
  ,casey knows ,i can look out for      
myself for awhile4 ,he's got to have a  
vacation from loafing and matrimony4    
,i'm so thankful he isn't taking it in  
jail6  ,i told her somewhat bluntly that
 she was a brick1 and that if ,i could  
get in touch with ,casey ,i'd try to    
keep an eye on him4 ,it would probably  
be a good thing1 ,i told her1 if he did 
stay away long enough to let this       
collection of complaints against him be 
forgotten at the police station4  ,i    
went away1 hoping fervently that ,casey 
would break even his own records that   
night4  ,i really intended to find him  
and keep an eye on him4  ,but keeping an
 eye on ,casey ,ryan is a more          
complicated affair than it sounds4      
,wherefore1 much of this story must be  

built upon my knowledge of ,casey and a 
more or less complete report of events  
in which ,i took no part1 welded        
together with a bit of healthy          
imagination4    ,,chapter ,,two  ,casey 
,ryan knew his desert4  ,also1 from long
 and not so happy experience1 he knew   
,fords1 or thought he did4  ,he made the
 mistake1 however1 of buying a nearly   
new one and asking it to accomplish the 
work of a twin six from the moment he   
got behind the wheel4  ,he was fortunate
 in buying a demonstrator's car with a  
hundred miles or so to its credit4  ,he 
arrived in ,barstow before the          
proprietor of a supply store had gone to
 bed--for which he was grateful to the  
,ford4 ,he loaded up there with such    
necessities for desert prospecting as he
 had not waited to buy in ,los ,angeles1
 turned short off the main highway where
 traffic officers might be summoned by  
telephone to lie in wait for him1 and   
took the steeper and less used trail    
north4 ,he was still mad and talking    

bitterly to himself in an undertone     
while he drove--telling the new ,ford   
what he thought of city rules and city  
ways1 and driving it as no ,ford was    
ever meant by its maker to be driven4   
,the country north of ,barstow is not to
 be taken casually in the middle of a   
dark night1 even by ,casey ,ryan and a  
,ford4  ,the roads1 once you are well   
away from help1 are all pretty much     
alike1 and all bad4  ,and although the  
white1 diamond-shaped signs of a        
beneficent automobile club are posted   
here and there1 where wrong turnings are
 most likely to prove disastrous to     
travelers1 ,casey ,ryan was in the mood 
to lick any man who pointed out a sign  
to him4  ,he did see one or two in spite
 of himself and gave a grunt of         
contempt4  ,so1 where he should have    
turned to the east 7his intention being 
to reach ,nevada by way of ,silver      
,lake7 he continued traveling north and 
didn't know it4  ,driving across the    
desert on a dark night is confusing to  

the most observant wayfarer4  ,on either
 side1 beyond the light of the car1     
illusory forest stands for mile upon    
mile4  ,up hill or down or across the   
level it is the same--a narrow1 winding 
trail through dimly seen woods4  ,the   
most familiar road grows strange2 the   
miles are longer2 you drive through     
mystery and silence and the world around
 you is a formless void4  ,dawn and a   
gorgeous sunrise painted out the woods  
and revealed barren hilltops which      
,casey did not know4  ,because he did   
not know them1 he guessed shrewdly that 
he was on his way to the wilderness of  
mountains and sand which lies west of   
,death ,valley4 ,small chance he had of 
hearing the shop whistles blow in ,las  
,vegas at noon1 as he had expected4  ,he
 was telling himself that he didn't care
 where he went1 when the car1 laboring  
more and more reluctantly up a long1    
sandy hill1 suddenly stopped4  ,in      
,casey's heart was a thrill at the sheer
 luxury of stopping in the middle of the

 road without having some thick-necked  
cop stride toward him bawling insults4  
,that he was obliged to stop1 and that a
 hill uptilted before him1 and the sand 
was a foot deep outside the ruts failed 
to impress him with foreboding4  ,he    
gloried in his freedom and thought not  
at all of the ,ford4  ,he climbed       
stiffly out1 squinted at the sky line1  
which was jagged1 and at his immediate  
surroundings1 which were barren and     
lonely and soothing to his soul that    
hungered for these things4 ,great1 gaunt
 ,joshua trees stood in grotesque groups
 all up and down the narrow valley1     
hiding the way he had come from the way 
he would go4  ,it was as if the desert  
had purposely dropped a curtain before  
his past and would show him none of his 
future4 ,whereat ,casey ,ryan grinned1  
took a chew of tobacco and was himself  
again4  ,if they wanta come pinch me    
here1 ,i'll meet 'em man to man4 ,back  
in town no man's got a show4  ,they pile
 in four deep and gang a feller4 ,out   

here it's lick er git licked4  ,they can
 all go t' thunder4 ,tahell with town6  
,the odor of coffee boiling in a new pot
 which the sagebrush fire was fast      
blackening2 the salty1 smoky smell of   
bacon frying in a new frying pan that   
turned bluish with the heat2 the sizzle 
of bannock batter poured into hot       
grease--these things made the smiling   
mouth of ,casey ,ryan water with desire4
  ,hell6 said ,casey1 breathing deep    
when1 stomach full and resentment toward
 the past blurred by satisfaction with  
his present1 he filled his pipe and     
fingered his vest pocket for a match4   
,gas stoves can't cook nothin' so       
there's any taste to it4  ,that there's 
the first real meal ,i've et in six     
months4 ,light a match and turn on the  
gas and call that a fire6  ,hunh6 ,good 
old sage er greasewood fer ,casey ,ryan1
 from here on6  ,he laid back against   
the sandy sidehill1 tilted his hat over 
his eyes and crossed his legs           
luxuriously4  ,he was in no hurry to    

continue his journey4  ,now that he and 
the desert were alone together1 haste   
and ,casey ,ryan held nothing in common4
  ,for awhile he watched a ,joshua palm 
that looked oddly like a giant man with 
one arm hanging loose at its side and   
another pointing fixedly at a distant1  
black-capped butte standing aloof from  
its fellows4  ,casey was tired after his
 night on the trail4  ,easy living in   
town had softened his muscles and slowed
 a little that untiring energy which had
 balked at no hardship4  ,he was drowsy1
 and his brain stopped thinking         
logically and slipped into half-waking  
fancy4  ,the ,joshua seemed to move1 to 
lift its arm and point more imperatively
 toward the peak4  ,its ungainly head   
seemed to turn and nod at ,casey4 ,what 
did the darned thing want8  ,casey would
 go when he1 got good and ready4        
,perhaps he would go that way1 and      
perhaps he would not4 ,right here was   
good enough for ,casey ,ryan at present2
 and you could ask anybody if he were   

the man to follow another man's         
pointing1 much less a ,joshua tree4     
,battering rain woke ,casey some hours  
later and drove him to the shelter of   
the ,ford4  ,thunder and lightning came 
with the rain1 and a bellowing wind that
 rocked the car and threatened once or  
twice to overturn it4 ,with some trouble
 ,casey managed to button down the      
curtains and sat huddled on the front   
seat1 watching through a streaming      
windshield the buffeted wilderness4  ,he
 was glad he had not unloaded his       
outfit2 gladder still that the storm had
 not struck which he was traveling4     
,down the trail toward him a small river
 galloped1 washing deep gullies where   
the wheels of his car offered           
obstruction to its boisterousness4      
,she's a tough one1 grinned ,casey1 in  
spite of the chattering of his teeth4   
,looks like all the water in the world  
is bein' poured down this pass4  ,keeps 
on1 ,i'll have to gouge out a couple of 
,joshuays an' turn the old ,ford into a 

boat--but ,casey'll keep agoin'6  ,until
 inky dark it rained like the deluge4   
,casey remained perched in his one-man  
ark and tried hard to enjoy himself and 
his hard-won freedom4  ,he stabbed open 
a can of condensed milk1 poured it into 
a cup1 and drank it and ate what was    
left of his breakfast bannock1 which he 
had fortunately put away in the car out 
of the reach of a hill of industrious   
red ants4  ,he thought vaguely of       
cranking the car and going on1 but gave 
up the notion4  ,one sidehill1 he       
decided1 was as good as another sidehill
 for the present4  ,that night ,casey   
slept fitfully in the car and discovered
 that even a wall bed in a despised     
apartment house may be more comfortable 
than the front seat of a ,ford4  ,his   
bones ached by morning1 and he was      
hungry enough to eat raw bacon and      
relish it4 ,but the sun was fighting    
through the piled clouds and shone      
cheerfully upon the draggled pass1 and  
,casey boiled coffee and fried bacon and

 bannock beside the trail1 and for a    
little while was happy again4  ,from    
breakfast until noon he was busy as a   
beaver repairing the washout beneath the
 car and on to the top of the hill4 ,she
 was going to have to get down and dig  
in her toes to make it1 he told the     
,ford1 when at last he heaved pick and  
shovel into the tonneau1 packed in his  
cooking outfit and made ready to crank  
up4  ,from then until supper time he    
wore a trail around the car1 looking to 
see what was wrong and why he could not 
crank4  ,he removed hootin'-annies and  
dingbats 7using ,casey's mechanical     
terms7 looked them over dissatisfiedly1 
and put them back without having done   
them ny good whatever4  ,sometimes they 
were returned to a different place1 ,i  
imagine1 since ,i know too well how     
impartial ,casey is with the mechanical 
parts of a ,ford4  ,he made camp there  
that night1 pitching his little tent in 
the trail for pure cussedness1 and      
defying aloud a traveling world to make 

him move until he got good and ready4   
,he might have saved his vocabulary1 for
 the road was impassable before him and 
behind2 and had ,casey managed to start 
the car1 he could not have driven a mile
 in either direction4  ,since he did not
 know that1 the next day he             
painstakingly cleaned the spark plugs   
and tried again to crank the ,ford2     
couldn't1 and removed more              
hootin'-annies and dingbats than he had 
touched the day before4 ,that night he  
once more pitched his tent in the trail1
 hoping in his heart that some one would
 drive along and dispute his right to   
camp there2 when he would lick the      
doggone cuss4  ,on the fourth day1 after
 a long1 fatiguing session with the     
vitals of a ,ford that refused to be    
cranked1 ,casey was busy gathering      
brush1 for his supper fire when ,fate   
came walking up' the trail4  ,fate      
appears in many forms4  ,in this        
instance it assumed the shape of a      
packed burro that poked its nose around 

a group of ,joshuas1 stopped abruptly   
and backed precipitately into another   
burro which swung out of the trail and  
went careening awkwardly down the slope4
  ,the stampeding burro had not seen the
 ,ford at all1 but accepted the         
testimony of its leader that something  
was radically wrong with the trail      
ahead4 ,his pack bumped against the     
yuccas as he went2 after him lurched a  
large man1 heavy to the point of        
fatness1 yelling hoarse threats and     
incoherent objurgations4  ,casey threw  
down his armful of dead brush and went  
after the lead burro which was blazing  
itself a trail in an entirely different 
direction4 ,the lead burro had four     
large canteens strapped outside its     
pack1 and ,casey was growing so short of
 water that he had begun to debate      
seriously the question of draining the  
radiator on the morrow4  ,i don't       
suppose many of you would believe the   
innate cussedness of a burro when it    
wants to be that way4  ,casey hazed this

 one to the hills and back down the     
trail for half a mile before he rushed  
it into a clump of greasewood and       
sneaked up on it when it thought itself 
hidden from all mortal eyes4  ,after    
that he dug heels into the sand and hung
 on4  ,memory resurrected for his need  
certain choice phrases coined in times  
of stress for the ears of burros alone4 
,luxury and civilization and fifty-five 
thousand dollars and a wife were as if  
they had never been4  ,he was ,casey    
,ryan1 the prospector1 fighting a       
stubborn donkey all over a desert slope4
 ,he led it conquered back to the ,ford1
 tied it to a wheel and lifted off the  
four canteens1 gratified with their     
weight and hoping there were more on the
 other burro4  ,he had quite forgotten  
that he had meant to lick the first man 
he saw1 and grinned when the fat man    
came toiling back with the other animal4
  ,by the time their coffee was boiled  
and their bacon fried1 each one knew the
 other's past history and tentative     

plans for the future1 censored and      
glossed somewhat by the teller but      
received without question or criticism4 
,the fat man's name was ,barney ,oakes1 
and he had heard of ,casey ,ryan and was
 glad to meet him4  ,though ,casey had  
never heard of ,barney ,oakes1 he       
discovered that they both knew ,bill    
,masters1 the garage man at ,lund2 and  
further gossip revealed the amazing fact
 that ,barney ,oakes had once been the  
husband of the woman whom ,casey had    
very nearly married1 the widow who      
cooked for the ,lucky ,lode4  ,boy1     
you're sure lucky she turned loose on   
yuh before yuh went an' married her6    
,barney congratulated ,casey1 slapping  
his great thigh and laughing loudly4    
,she shore is handy with her            
tongue--that old girl4 ,ever hear a     
sawmill workin' overtime8 ,that's       
her--rippin' through knots an' never    
blowin' the whistle fer quittin' time4  
,i never knowed a man could have as many
 faults as what she used t' name over   

fer me4  ,he drained his cup and sighed 
with great content4  ,at that1 ,i stayed
 with her seven months and fourteen     
days1 he boasted4  ,i admit1 two of them
 months ,i was laid up with a busted    
ankle an' shoulder blade4 ,tunnel caved 
in on me4  ,they talked late that night 
and were comrades1 brothers1 partners   
share and share alike before they slept4
  ,next morning ,casey tried again to   
start the ,ford2 couldn't2 and yielded  
to ,barney's argument that burros were  
better than a car for prospectin' in    
that rough country4  ,they overhauled   
,casey's outfit1 took all the grub and  
as much else as the burros could carry  
and debated seriously what point in the 
,panamints they should aim for4         
,where's that there ,joshuay tree       
pointin' to8 ,casey asked finally4      
,she's the biggest and oldest in the    
bunch1 and ever since ,i've been here   
she's looked like she's got somethin' on
 'er mind4 ,whadda yuh think1 ,barney8  
,barney walked around the yucca1 stood  

behind the extended arm1 squinted at the
 sharp-peaked butte with the black      
capping1 toward which the gaunt tree    
seemed to point4  ,he spat out a stale  
quid of tobacco and took a fresh one1   
squinted again toward the butte and     
looked at ,casey4  ,she's country ,i    
never prospected in1 back in there4     
,i've follered poorer advice than a     
,joshuay4  ,le's try it a whirl4  ,thus 
it came to pass that ,casey ,ryan       
forsook his ,ford for a strange partner 
with two burros and a clouded past1 and 
fared forth across the barren foothills 
with no better guidance than the rigid1 
outstretched limb of a great1 gaunt     
,joshua tree4    ,,chapter ,,three  ,in 
a still sunny gulch which shadows would 
presently fill to the brim1 ,casey ,ryan
 was reaching1 soiled bandanna in his   
hand1 to pull a pot of bubbling coffee  
from the coals1--a pot now blackened    
with the smoke of many campfires to     
prove how thoroughly a part of the open 
land it had become4  ,something nipped  

at his right shoulder1 and at the same  
instant ticked the coffeepot and        
overturned it into a splutter of steam  
and hot ashes4  ,the spiteful crack of a
 rifle shot followed close4 ,casey      
ducked behind a nose of rock1 and big   
,barney ,oakes scuttled for cover1      
spilling bacon out of the frying pan as 
he went4  ,for a week the two had been  
camped in this particular gulch1 which  
drew in to a mere wrinkle on the        
southwestern slope of the black-topped  
butte1 toward which the ,joshua tree in 
the pass had directed them4 ,nearly a   
week they had spent toiling across the  
hilly1 waterless waste1 with two        
harrowing days when their canteens      
flopped empty on the burros and big     
,barney stumbled oftener than ,casey    
liked to see4  ,casey himself had gone  
doggedly ahead1 his body bent forward1  
his square shoulders sagging a bit1 but 
with never a thought of doing anything  
but go on4  ,a red splotch high up on   
the side of this gulch promised water   

formation as prospectors have a way of  
putting it4  ,they had found the water1 
else adventure would have turned to     
tragedy4 ,near the water they had also  
found a promising outcropping of        
silver-bearing quartz4 ,barney's        
blowpipe had this very day shown them   
silver in castle-building quantities4   
,just at this moment1 however1 they were
 not thinking of mines4 ,they were      
eyeing a round hole in the coffeepot    
from which a brown rivulet ran spitting 
into the blackening coals4  ,casey was  
the more venturesome4  ,he raised       
himself to see if he could discover     
where the bullet had come from1 and very
 nearly met the fate of the coffeepot4  
,he felt the wind of a second bullet    
that spatted against a boulder near     
,barney4  ,barney burrowed deeper into  
his covert4  ,casey went down on all    
fours and crawled laboriously toward a  
concealing bank covered thick with      
brush4  ,a third bullet clipped a twig  
of sage just about three inches above   

the middle of his back1 and ,casey      
flattened on his stomach and swore4     
,some one on the peak of the hill had   
good eyesight1 he decided4  ,neither    
spoke1 other than to swear in           
undertones2 for voices carried far in   
that clear atmosphere1 and nothing could
 be gained by conversation4  ,darkness  
never had poured so slowly into that    
gulch since the world was young4  ,the  
campfire had died to black embers before
 ,casey ventured from his covert1 and   
,barney ,oakes seemed to have holed up  
for the season4  ,unless you have lived 
for a long while in a land altogether   
empty of any human life save your own1  
you cannot realize the effect of having 
mysterious bullets zip past your ears   
and ruin your supper for you4           
,somebody's gunnin' fer us1 looks like  
t' me1 ,barney observed belatedly in a  
hoarse whisper1 from his covert4  ,found
 that out1 did yuh8  ,well1 it ain't the
 first time ,casey's been shot at and   
missed1 ,casey retorted peevishly in the

 lee of the bank4 ,say6 ,i knowed the   
sing of bullets before ,i was old enough
 to carry a tune4  ,so'd ,i1 boasted    
,barney1 but that ain't sayin' ,i       
learned t' like the song4  ,what ,i'm   
figurin' out now1 said ,casey1 is how to
 get up there an' ,,at 'am4  ,an' how we
 kin do it without him seein' us4       
,goin' t' be kinda ticklish--but it     
ain't the first ticklish job ,casey     
,ryan ever tackled4  ,it can't be did1  
,barney stated flatly4  ,an' if it could
 be did1 ,i wouldn't do it4  ,i ain't as
 easy t' miss as what you be4 ,i got    
bulk4  ,a hole bored through your tallow
 might mebbe do you good1 ,casey        
suggested harshly4  ,might let in a     
little sand4  ,you can't never tell--   
,my vitals1 said ,barney with dignity1  
is just as close to the surface as what 
your vitals be4  ,i ain't so fat--,i'm  
big4  ,an' ,i got all the sand ,i need4 
,i also have got sense1 which some men  
lacks4  ,what yuh figurin' on doin'8    
,casey wanted to know4  ,set here under 

a bush an' let 'em pick yuh up same as  
they would a cottontail1 mebbe8 ,we got 
a hull night to work in1 an' ,casey's   
eyes is as good as anybody's in the     
dark4  ,more'n that1 ,casey's six-gun   
kin shoot just as hard an' fast as a    
rifle--let 'im git close enough4        
,barney did not want to be left alone   
and said so frankly4 ,neither did he    
want to climb the butte4  ,he could see 
no possible gain in climbing to meet an 
enemy or enemies who could hear the     
noise of approach4 ,it was plain        
suicide1 he declared1 and ,barney ,oakes
 was not ready to die4  ,but ,casey     
could never listen to argument when a   
fight was in prospect4 ,he filled a     
canteen1 emptied a box of cartridges    
into his pocket1 stuck his old1 ,colt   
six-shooter inside his trousers belt1   
and gave ,barney some parting           
instruction under his breath4  ,barney  
was to move camp down under the bank by 
the spring1 and dig himself in there1 so
 that the only approach would be up the 

narrow gulch4  ,he would then wait until
 ,casey returned4  ,somebody's after our
 outfit1 most likely1 ,casey reasoned4  
,it ain't the first time ,i've knowed it
 to happen4  ,so you put the hull outfit
 outa sight down there an' stand guard  
over it4  ,if we'd 'a' run when they    
opened up1 they'd uh cleaned us out and 
left us flat4  ,they's two of us1 an'   
we'll git 'em from two sides4  ,he      
stuffed cold bannock into the pocket    
that did not hold the cartridges and    
disappeared1 climbing the side of the   
gulch opposite the point which held     
their ambitious marksman4  ,to ,barney's
 panicky expostulations he had given    
little heed4 ,if yore vitals is as close
 to your hide as what you claim1 ,casey 
had said impatiently1 an' you don't want
 any punctures in 'em1 git to work an'  
git that hide of yourn outa sight4      
,it'll take some diggin'2 they's a lot  
of yuh to cover4  ,barney1 therefore1   
dug like a badger with a dog snuffing at
 its tail4 ,casey1 on the other hand1   

climbed laboriously in the darkness a   
bluff he had not attempted to climb by  
daylight4  ,it was hard work and slow1  
for he felt the need of going quietly4  
,what lay over the rim-rock he did not  
know1 though he meant to find out4      
,daylight found him leaning against a   
smooth ledge which formed a part of the 
black capping he had seen from the road4
  ,he had spent the night toiling over  
boulders and into small gulches and out 
again1 trying to find some crevice      
through which he might climb to the top4
 ,now he was just about where he had    
been several hours before1 and even     
,casey ,ryan could not help realizing   
what a fine target he would make if he  
attempted to climb back down the bluff  
to camp before darkness again hid his   
movements4  ,standing there puffing and 
wondering what to do next1 he saw the   
two burros come picking their way toward
 the spring for their morning drink and 
a handful apiece of rolled oats which   
,barney kept to bait them into camp4    

,the lead burro was within easy flinging
 distance of a rock1 from camp1 when the
 thin1 unmistakable crack of a          
rifle-shot came from the right1 high up 
on the rim somewhere beyond ,casey4     
,the lead burro pitched forward1        
struggled to get up1 fell again and     
rolled over1 lodging against a rock with
 its four feet sticking up at awkward   
angles in the air4  ,the second burro1  
always quick to take alarm1 wheeled and 
went galloping away down the draw4  ,but
 he couldn't outgallop the bullet that  
sent him in a complete somersault down  
the slope4 ,barney might keep the rest  
of his rolled oats1 for the burros were 
through wanting them4  ,casey squinted  
along the rim of black rock that crested
 the peak irregularly like a stiff1     
ragged frill of mourning stuff the gods 
had thrown away4  ,he could not see the 
man who had shot the burros4 ,by the    
intervals between shots1 ,casey guessed 
that one man was doing the shooting1    
though it was probable there were others

 in the gang4 ,and now that the burros  
were dead1 it became more than ever     
necessary to locate the gang and have it
 out with them4  ,that necessity did not
 worry ,casey in the least4  ,the only  
thing that troubled him now was getting 
up on the rim without being seen4  ,it  
was characteristic of ,casey ,ryan that1
 though he moved with caution1 he       
nevertheless moved toward their unseen  
enemy4  ,not for a long1 long while had 
,casey been cautious in his behavior1   
and the necessity galled him4  ,if the  
hidden marksman had missed that last    
burro1 ,casey would probably have taken 
a longer chance4 ,but to date1 every    
bullet had gone straight to its         
destination2 which was enough to make   
any man think twice4  ,once during the  
forenoon1 while ,casey was standing     
against the rim-rock staring glumly down
 upon the camp1 ,barney's hat1 perched  
on a pick handle1 lifted its crown above
 the edge of his hiding place2 an old1  
old trick ,barney was playing to see if 

the rifle were still there and working4 
,the rifle worked very well indeed1 for 
,barney was presently flattened into his
 retreat1 swearing and poking his finger
 through a round hole in his hat4       
,casey seized the opportunity created by
 the diversion and scurried like a      
lizard across a bare1 gravelly slide    
that had been bothering him for half an 
hour4  ,by mid-afternoon he reached a   
crevice that looked promising enough    
when he craned up it1 but which nearly  
broke his neck when he had climbed      
halfway up4 ,never before had he been   
compelled to measure so exactly his     
breadth and thickness4  ,it was drawing 
matters down rather fine when he was    
compelled to back down to where he had  
elbow room1 and remove his coat before  
he could squeeze his body through that  
crack4  ,but he did it1 with his        
six-shooter inside his shirt and the    
extra ammunition weighting his trousers 
pockets4  ,in spite of his long         
experience with desert scenery1 ,casey  

was somewhat astonished to find himself 
in a new land1 fairly level and with    
thick groves of pinon cedar and juniper 
trees scattered here and there4  ,far   
away stood other barren hills with deep 
canyons between4  ,he knew now that the 
black-capped butte was less a butte than
 the uptilted nose of a high plateau not
 half so barren as the lower country4   
,from the pointing ,joshua tree it had  
seemed a peak1 but contours are never so
 deceptive as in the high1 broken       
barrens of ,nevada4  ,he looked down    
into the gulch where ,barney was holed  
up with their outfit4  ,he could        
scarcely distinguish the place1 it had  
dwindled so with the distance4  ,he had 
small hope of seeing ,barney4  ,after   
that last leaden bee had buzzed through 
his hat crown1 you would have to dig    
faster than ,barney if you wanted a look
 at him4 ,casey grinned when he thought 
of it4  ,when he had gotten his breath  
and had scraped some loose dirt out of  
his shirt collar1 ,casey crouched down  

behind a juniper and examined his       
surroundings carefully1 his pale1       
straight-lidded eyes moving slowly as   
the white1 pointing finger of a         
searchlight while he took in every small
 detail within view4  ,midway in the arc
 of his vision was a ledge1 ending in a 
flat-topped boulder4  ,the ledge blocked
 his view1 except that he could see     
trees and a higher peak of rocks beyond 
it4  ,he made his way cautiously toward 
the ledge1 his eyes fixed upon the      
boulder4  ,a huge1 sloping slab of the  
granite outcropping it seemed1 scaly    
with gray-green fungus in the cracks    
where moisture longest remained2 granite
 ledge banked with low junipers warped  
and stunted and tangled with sage4 ,the 
longer ,casey looked at the boulder1 the
 less he saw that seemed unnatural in a 
country filled with boulders and        
outcroppings and stunted vegetation4    
,but the longer he looked at it1 the    
stronger grew his animal instinct that  
something was wrong4  ,he waited for a  

time--a long time indeed for ,casey     
,ryan to wait4  ,there was no stir      
anywhere save the sweep of the wind     
blowing steadily from the west4  ,he    
crept forward1 halting often1 eyeing the
 boulder and its neighboring ledge1     
distrust growing within him1 though he  
saw nothing1 heard nothing but the wind 
sweeping through branches and bush4     
,casey ,ryan was never frightened in his
 life4  ,but he was ,irish born--and    
there's something in ,irish blood that  
will not out2 something that goes beyond
 reason into the world of unknown       
wisdom4  ,it's a tricksy world1 that    
realm of intuitions4  ,for this is what 
befell ,casey ,ryan1 and you may account
 for it as best pleases you4  ,he       
circled the rock as a wolf will circle a
 coiled rattler which it does not see4  
,beyond the rock1 built close against it
 so that the rear wall must have been   
the face of the ledge1 a little rock    
cabin squatted secretively4  ,one small 
window1 with two panes of glass was set 

high under the eaves on the side toward 
,casey4 ,cleverly concealed it was1     
built to resemble the ledge4  ,visible  
from one side only1 and that was the    
side where ,casey stood4 ,at the back   
the sloping boulder1 untouched1         
impregnable2 at the north and west1 a   
twist of the ledge that hid the cabin   
completely in a niche4  ,it was the     
window on the south side that betrayed  
it4  ,so here was what the boulder      
concealed1--and yet1 ,casey was not     
satisfied with the discovery4           
,unconsciously he reached for his gun4  
,this1 he told himself1 must be the     
secret habitation of the fiend who shot 
from rim-rocks with terrible precision  
at harmless prospectors and their       
burros4  ,casey squinted up at the sun  
and turned his level gaze again upon the
 cabin4  ,reason told him that the man  
with the rifle was still watching for a 
pot shot at him and ,barney1 and that   
there was nothing whatever to indicate  
the presence of only one man in the camp

 below4 ,had he been glimpsed once      
during the climb1 he would have been    
fired upon2 he would never have been    
given the chance to gain the top and    
find this cabin4  ,the place looked     
deserted4  ,his practical1 everyday mind
 told him it was empty for the time     
being4  ,but he felt queer and          
uncomfortable1 nevertheless4  ,he       
sneaked along the ledge to the cabin1   
flattened himself against the corner    
next the gray boulder and waited there  
for a minute4  ,he felt the flesh       
stiffening on his jaws as he crept up to
 the window to look in4  ,by standing on
 his toes1 ,casey's eyes came on a level
 with the lowest inch of glass1--the    
window was so high4  ,just at first     
,casey could not see much4  ,then1 when 
his eyes had adjusted themselves to the 
half twilight within1 his mind at first 
failed to grasp what he saw4  ,gradually
 a dimly sensed dread took hold of him1 
and grew while he stood there peering in
 at commonplace things which should have

 given him no feeling save perhaps a    
faint surprise4  ,a fairly clean1 tiny  
room he saw1 with a rough1 narrow bed in
 one corner and a box table at its head4
  ,from the ceiling hung a lantern with 
the chimney smoked on one side and the  
warped1 pole rafter above it slightly   
blackened to show how long the lantern  
had hung there lighted4  ,a door        
opposite the tiny window was closed1 and
 there was no latch or fastening on the 
inner side4 ,an ,indian blanket covered 
half the floor space1 and in the corner 
opposite the bed was a queer1 drumlike  
thing of sheet iron with a pipe running 
through the wall2 some heating          
arrangement1 ,casey guessed4  ,in the   
center of the room1 facing the window1 a
 woman sat in a wooden rocking chair and
 rocked4  ,a pale old woman with dark   
hollows under her eyes that were fixed  
upon the pattern of the ,indian rug4    
,her hair was white4  ,her thin1 white  
hands rested limply on the arms of the  
chair1 and she was rocking back and     

forth1 back and forth1 steadily1        
quietly1--just rocking and staring at   
the ,indian rug4  ,casey has since told 
me that she was the creepiest thing he  
ever saw in his life4  ,yet he could not
 explain why it was so4 ,the woman's    
face was not so old1 though it was lined
 and without color4  ,there was a       
terrible quiet in her features1 but he  
felt1 somehow1 that her thoughts were   
not quiet4  ,it was as if her thoughts  
were reaching out to him1 telling him   
things too awful for her thin1 hushed   
lips to let pass4  ,but after all1      
,casey's main object was to locate the  
man with the rifle1 and to do it before 
he himself was seen on the butte4  ,he  
watched a little longer the woman who   
rocked and rocked4 ,never once did her  
eyes move from that fixed point on the  
rug4  ,never once did her fingers move  
on the arm of the chair4  ,her mouth    
remained immobile as the lips of a dead 
woman4  ,he had to force himself to     
leave the window2 and when he did1 he   

felt guilty1 as if he had somehow       
deserted some one helpless and needing  
him4  ,he sneaked back1 lifted himself  
and took another long look4  ,the old   
woman was rocking back and forth1 her   
face quiet with that terrible1 pent     
placidity which ,casey could not        
understand4  ,away from the cabin a     
pebble's throw1 he shook his shoulders  
and pulled his mind away from her1 back 
to the man with the rifle--and to       
,barney4 ,rocking in a chair never hurt 
anybody that he ever heard of4  ,and    
shooting from rim-rocks did4  ,and      
,barney was down there1 holed up and    
helpless1 though he had grub and water4 
,casey was up here in a mighty dangerous
 place without much grub or water       
but--he hoped--not quite helpless4  ,his
 immediate1 pressing job was not to peek
 through a high-up window at an old     
woman rocking back and forth in a chair1
 but to round up the man who was        
interfering with ,casey's peaceful quest
 for--well1 he called it wealth2 but ,i 

think that adventure meant more to him4 
,he picked his way carefully along the  
edge of the rim-rock1 keeping under     
cover when he could and watching always 
the country ahead4  ,and without any    
artful description of his progress1 ,i  
will simply say that ,casey ,ryan combed
 the edge of that rampart for two miles 
before dark1 and found himself at last  
on the side farthest from ,barney       
without having discovered the faintest  
trace of any living soul save the woman 
who rocked back and forth in the little1
 secret cabin4  ,casey sat down on a    
rock1 took a restrained drink from his  
canteen1 and said everything he knew or 
could invent that was profane and       
condemnatory of his luck1 of the unseen 
assassin1 of the country and his present
 predicament4  ,he got up1 looked all   
around him1 sniffed unavailingly for    
some tang of smoke in the thin1 crisp   
air1 reseated himself and said          
everything all over again4  ,presently  
he rose and made his way straight across

 the butte1 going slowly to lessen his  
chance of making a noise for unfriendly 
ears to hear1 and with the stars for    
guidance4    ,,chapter ,,four  ,the     
night was growing cold1 and ,casey had  
no coat4  ,at least he could go down and
 tell ,barney what he had discovered and
 had failed to discover1 and get        
something to eat4  ,barney would        
probably be worrying about him1 though  
there was a chance that a bullet had    
found ,barney before dark4  ,casey was  
uneasy1 and once he was down the fissure
 again1 he hurried as much as possible4 
,he managed to reach the camp by the    
little spring without being shot at and 
without breaking a leg4  ,but ,barney   
was not there4 ,just at first ,casey    
believed he was dead2 but a brief search
 told ,casey that two of the largest    
canteens were gone1 together with a side
 of bacon1 some flour and all of the    
tobacco4  ,white assassins would have   
made a more thorough job of robbing the 
camp4  ,barney1 it was evident1 had fled

 the fate of the burros4  ,casey told   
the stars what he thought of a partner  
like ,barney4 ,afterward he ate what was
 easiest to swallow without cooking1    
overhauled what was left of their       
outfit1 cached the remainder in a clump 
of bushes1 and wearily climbed the bluff
 again under a capacity load4  ,he      
concealed himself in the bottom of the  
fissure to sleep1 since he could search 
no farther4  ,if he thought wistfully of
 the palled comfort of his apartment in 
,los ,angeles1 and of the ,little ,woman
 there1 he still did not think strongly 
enough to send him back to them4  ,for  
with a canteen or two of water1 some    
food and his two capable legs to carry  
him1 ,casey ,ryan could have made it to 
,barstow easily enough4  ,but because he
 was ,casey ,ryan1 and ,irish1 and      
because he was always on the hunt for   
trouble without recognizing it when he  
met it in the trail1 it never occurred  
to him to follow ,barney down to safer  
country4  ,that there ,joshuay tree     

meant a lot more'n what it let on1      
pointin' up this way6  ,casey muttered1 
staring down upon a somnolent wilderness
 blanketed with hushed midnight4  ,if it
 thinks it's got ,casey whipped1 it     
better think agin and think quick4      
,i'll give it somethin' to point at1    
'fore ,i leave this here butte4  ,funny1
 the way it kept pointin' up this way4  
,i've saw ,joshuays before--miles of    
'em4 ,but ,i never seen one that looked 
so kinda human and so kinda like it was 
tryin' to talk4  ,seems kinda funny2 an'
 that old lady rockin' an'              
lookin'--seems like her an' the ,joshuay
 has kinda throwed in together1 hopin'  
somebody might come along with savvy    
enough to kinda--aw1 hell6  ,so did     
,casey and his ,irish belief in the     
supernatural fall plump against the     
limitations of his vocabulary4  ,against
 the limitations proscribed by his      
material predicament1 however1 ,casey   
,ryan set his face with a grin4         
,somebody was going to get the big jolt 

of his life before long1 he told himself
 over a careful breakfast fire built    
cunningly far back in the crevice where 
a current of air sucked into the rock   
capping of the butte4 ,something was    
going on up here that shouldn't go on4  
,he did not know what it was1 but he    
meant to stop it4  ,he did not know who 
was making ,indian war on peaceful      
prospectors1 but ,casey felt that they  
were already as good as licked1 since he
 was here with breakfast under his belt 
and his six-shooter tucked handily      
inside his waistband4  ,he squinted up  
the crack in the ledge1 made certain    
mental alterations in its narrow1 jagged
 walls1 and reached for the             
tough-handled1 efficient prospector's   
pick he had thoughtfully included in his
 meagre equipment4  ,slowly and         
methodically he worked up the crevice1  
knocking off certain sharp points of    
rock1 and knowing all the while what    
would probably happen to him if he were 
overheard4  ,he was not discovered1     

however4  ,when he laid elbows on the   
upper level of the rim and pulled       
himself up1 his coat was on his back    
where it belonged1 and even ,barney     
could have followed him4  ,yet the top  
showed no evidence of a widening of the 
fissure4  ,the bushy junipers hid him   
completely while he reconnoitred and    
considered what he should do4  ,because 
the place was close and the invisible   
call was strong1 ,casey went first to   
the rock hut1 circled it carefully and  
found that it was exactly what it had   
seemed at first sight2 a hidden place   
with no evident opening save that high1 
small window under the eaves4  ,there   
was no sign of pathway leading to it1 no
 trace of life outside its wall4  ,but  
when he crept close and peeked in again1
 there sat the old woman rocking back   
and forth4  ,but to-day she stared at   
the wall before her4  ,casey felt a     
distinct sensation of relief just in    
knowing that she was1 after all1 capable
 of moving4  ,now her head was not bent1

 but rested against the back of her     
chair4  ,she was rocking steadily1      
quietly1 with never a halt4  ,casey     
rapped on the window and waited1        
fighting a nameless dread of the mystery
 of her4  ,but she continued to rock and
 to stare at the wall2 if she heard the 
tapping she gave no sign whatever4 ,so  
presently he turned away and set himself
 to the work of finding the man with the
 rifle4  ,to that end he first of all   
climbed the tallest pinon tree in sight2
 a tree that stood on a rise of ground  
apart from its brothers4 ,from the      
concealment of its branches1 he surveyed
 his surroundings carefully1 noting     
especially the notched unevenness of the
 butte's rim and how just behind him it 
narrowed unexpectedly to a thin ridge   
not more than a couple of hundred yards 
in breadth4  ,a jagged outcropping cut  
straight across and ,casey saw how      
yesterday he had mistaken that ledge for
 the rim of the butte4  ,his man must   
have been out on the point beyond him   

all the while4  ,he was out there now1  
very likely2 there1 or down in the camp 
he had watched yesterday like a vulture4
  ,his search having narrowed to an area
 easily covered in an hour or two1      
,casey turned his head and examined as  
well as he could the deep canyon that   
had bitten into the butte and caused    
that narrow peak4 ,trees blocked his    
view there1 and he was feeling about for
 a lower foothold so that he could make 
the descent when a voice from the ground
 startled him considerably4  ,come down 
outa there1 before ,i shoot yuh down6   
,casey looked down and saw what he      
afterwards declared was the meanest     
looking man on earth1 pointing straight 
at him the widest muzzled shotgun he had
 ever seen in his life4  ,casey came    
down4  ,the last ten feet of the        
distance he made in a clean jump1       
planting his feet full in the old man's 
stomach4 ,the meanest looking man on    
earth gave a grunt and crumpled1 with   
,casey's fingers digging into his       

throat4  ,whether ,casey would have     
killed him or not will never be known4  
,for just as the man was falling limp in
 his hands1 another heavy body landed   
upon ,casey's back4  ,casey felt a hard1
 chill circle pressed against his       
perspiring temple4  ,his hands relaxed  
and fall away from the throat1 leaving  
finger marks there in the flesh4  ,git  
up off'n him6 a new voice commanded     
harshly1 and ,casey obeyed4 ,his captor 
shifted the gun muzzle to the back of   
,casey's neck and poked the gasping1    
bearded old man with his toe4  ,git up1 
,paw1 you old fool1 you6  ,what'd you   
let 'im light on yuh fer8 ,why couldn't 
you a stood back a piece1 outa reach8   
,you like to got croaked4  ,casey found 
it prudent to hold his head rather      
still1 as a man does when he carries a  
boil on his neck4  ,the muzzle of a     
six-shooter has a quieting effect1 when 
applied to the person by an unfriendly  
hand4 ,casey did not at once see the    
intruder4  ,but presently ,paw recovered

 himself and his shotgun1 and swung it  
menacingly toward ,casey4 ,whereupon the
 cold circle left ,casey's medulla      
oblongata and a long-faced1 long-legged 
youth stepped somewhat hastily to one   
side4  ,paw1 you ol' fool1 you1 get your
 finger off'n that trigger whilst you're
 aimin' at me6 he exclaimed pettishly4  
,i wa'n't aimin' at you4  ,i was aimin' 
at this 'ere-- ,casey heard himself     
called many names1 any one of which was 
good for a fight when ,casey was free4  
,aw1 you shut up1 ,paw4  ,you ain't     
gittin' nobody nowhere1 the son         
interrupted4  ,you can't cuss 'im t'    
death--he looks like he could cut loose 
a few of them pet names hisself if he   
got a chancet4 ,yuh might tell us what  
you was doin' up that there tree1       
mister4 ,an' what you're doin' on this  
here butte1 anyhow4  ,casey looked at   
him4  ,knowing ,casey1 ,i should say    
that his eyes were not pleasant4  ,talk 
to ,paw1 he advised contemptuously4 ,the
 two of yuh may possibly be able to     

stand each other without gittin' sick2  
but me1 ,i never did git used to skunks6
  ,that remark very nearly got him a    
through ticket to ,land ,beyond4 ,but1  
being very nearly what ,casey had called
 them1 they contented themselves with   
mouthing vile epithets4  ,better take   
'im down to the mine an' keep 'im till  
,mart gets back1 ,paw1 the long-jawed   
youth suggested1 when he ran short of   
objurgations4 ,mart'll fix 'im when he  
comes4  ,i'd fix 'im1 here an'1 now1    
threatened ,paw1 but ,mart1 he's so     
damned techy lately--what we oughta do  
is bust 'is head with a rock an' pitch  
'im over the rim4  ,that'd fix 'im4     
,they wrangled over the suggestion1 and 
finally decided to take him down and    
turn him over to one whom they called   
,joe4  ,casey went along peaceably1     
hopeful that he would later have a      
chance to fight back4 ,he told himself  
that they both had heads like peanuts1  
and whenever they moved1 he swore1 he   
could hear their brains rattle in their 

skulls4 ,it doesn't take brains to shoot
 straight1 and he decided that the lanky
 young man was the one who had shot from
 the rim-rock4 ,they drove him down into
 the narrow1 deep gulch1 following a    
steep trail that ,casey had not seen the
 day before4  ,the trail led them to the
 mouth of a tunnel2 and by the size of  
the dump ,casey judged that the workings
 were of a considerable extent4  ,they  
were getting out silver ore1 he guessed1
 after a glance or two at stray pieces  
of rock4  ,joe was a big1 glum-looking  
individual with his left hand bandaged4 
,he chewed tobacco industriously and    
maintained a complete silence while     
,hank1 frequently telling ,paw to shut  
up1 told how and where they had found   
,casey spying up on the butte4  ,we     
don't fancy stray desert rats prowlin'  
around without no reason1 said ,joe4    
,our boss that we're workin' for ain't  
at home4  ,we're lookin' for 'im back   
any day now1 an' we'll just hold yuh    
till he comes4  ,he can do as he likes  

about yuh4  ,you'll have to work fer    
your board--c'm on an' ,i'll show yuh   
how4  ,hank followed ,casey and ,joe    
into the tunnel4  ,casey made no        
objections whatever to going4  ,the     
tunnel was a fairly long one1 he        
noticed1 with drifts opening out of it  
to left and right4 ,at the end of the   
main tunnel1 ,joe turned1 took ,casey's 
candle from him and stuck it into a seam
 in the wall1 as he had done with his   
own4  ,ever drill in rock8 he asked     
shortly4  ,mebbe ,i have an' mebbe ,i   
ain't1 ,casey returned defiantly4       
,here's a drill1 an' here's your        
single-jack4  ,now git t' work4 ,there  
ain't any loafin' around this camp1 and 
spies never meant good to nobody4  ,yuh 
needn't expect to be popular with       
us--but you'll git your grub if yuh earn
 it4  ,casey looked at the drill1 took  
the double-headed1 four-pound hammer and
 hesitated4  ,he has said that it was   
pretty hard to resist braining the two  
of them at once4  ,but there would still

 be the old man with the shotgun1 and he
 admitted that he was curious about the 
old woman who rocked and rocked4  ,he   
decided to wait awhile and see1 why     
these miners found it necessary to shoot
 harmless prospectors who came near the 
butte4  ,so he spat into the dust of the
 tunnel floor1 squinted at ,joe for a   
minute and went to work4  ,that day     
,casey was kept underground except      
during the short interval of shooting   
and waiting for the dynamite smoke to   
clear out of the tunnel2 which process  
,casey assisted by operating a hand     
blower much against his will4  ,joe     
remained always on guard1 eyeing ,casey 
suspiciously4  ,when at last he was     
permitted to pick up his coat and leave 
the tunnel1 night had fallen so that the
 gulch was dim and shadowy4  ,casey was 
conducted to a dugout cabin where bacon 
was frying too fast and smoking         
suffocatingly4  ,paw was there1 in a    
vile temper which seemed to be directed 
toward the three impartially and to have

 been caused chiefly by his temporary   
occupation as camp cook4  ,casey watched
 the old man place food for one person  
in little dishes which he set in a bake 
pan for want of a tray4  ,he added a    
small tin teapot of tea and disappeared 
from the dugout4  ,two of us waitin' to 
see your boss1 huh8  ,casey inquired    
boldly of ,joe4  ,can't we eat together8
  ,you can call yourself lucky if you   
eat at all1 ,joe retorted glumly4 ,the  
old man's pretty sore at the way you    
handled him4 ,he's runnin' this camp2 ,i
 ain't4  ,casey let it go at that1      
chiefly because he was hungry and tired 
and did not want to risk losing his     
supper altogether4  ,hounds like these1 
he told himself bitterly1 were capable  
of any crime--from smashing a man's     
skull and throwing him off the rim-rock 
to starving him to death4 ,he was ,casey
 ,ryan1 ready always to fight whether   
his chance of winning was even or merely
 microscopical2 but even so1 ,casey was 
not inclined toward suicide4  ,when the 

old man presently returned and the three
 sat down to the table1 ,casey obeyed a 
gesture and sat down with them4  ,in    
spite of ,joe's six-shooter laid handily
 upon the table beside his plate1 ,casey
 ate heartily1 though the food was      
neither well cooked nor over plentiful4 
,after supper he rose and filled his    
pipe which they had permitted him to    
keep4  ,a stranger coming into the cabin
 might not have guessed that ,casey was 
a prisoner4  ,when the table was cleared
 and ,hank set about washing the dishes1
 ,casey picked up a grimy dish towel    
branded black in places where it had    
rubbed sooty kettles1 and grinned       
cheerfully at ,paw while he dried a tin 
plate4  ,paw eyed him dubiously over a  
stinking pipe1 spat reflectively into   
the woodbox and crossed his legs the    
other way1 loosely swinging an ill-shod 
foot4  ,y'ain't told us yet what brung  
yuh up on the butte1 ,paw observed      
suddenly4  ,yuh wa'n't lost--yuh ain't  
got the mark uh no tenderfoot4 ,what was

 yuh doin' up in that tree8  ,mebbe ,i  
mighta been huntin' mountain sheep1     
,casey retorted calmly4  ,huntin'       
mountain sheep up a tree is a new one1  
tittered ,hank4 ,wish you'd give me a   
swaller uh that brand4  ,must have a    
kick like a brindle mule4  ,more likely 
',white ,mule4' ,casey cocked a knowing 
eye at ,hank4 ,you're too late1 young   
feller4  ,i chewed the cork day before  
yesterday1 he declared4  ,while he      
fished another plate out of the pan1    
,casey observed that ,paw looked at ,joe
 inquiringly1 and that ,joe moved his   
head sidewise a careful inch1 and back  
again4  ,moonshine1 huh8 ,paw hazarded  
hopefully4  ,yuh peddlin' it1 er makin' 
it8  ,casey grinned secretively4  ,a man
 can't be pinched without the goods1 he 
observed shrewdly4  ,i was raised in a  
country where they took fools out an'   
brained 'em with an axe4  ,you fellers  
ain't been none too friendly1 recollect4
  ,when's your boss expected home1 did  
yuh say8  ,i'd kinda like to meet 'im4  

,he'll kinda like to meet you1 ,joe     
returned darkly4 ,your actions has been 
plumb suspicious4  ,nothin' suspicious  
about ,,my actions1 ,casey stated       
truculently1 throwing discretion behind 
him4  ,the suspiciousness lays up here  
somewheres on this butte4  ,if yuh want 
to know what brung me up here1 ,casey   
,ryan's the man that can tell yuh to    
your faces4  ,i come up here to find out
 who's been gittin' busy with a         
high-power on my camp down below4       
,ain't it natural a man'd want to know  
who'd shot his two burros--an' 'is      
pardner8  ,casey had impulsively decided
 to throw in ,barney for good measure4  
,casey ,ryan ain't the man to set under 
a bush an' be shot at like a rabbit4    
,you can ask anybody if ,casey ever     
backed up fer man er beast4  ,i come up 
here huntin'4 ,shore ,i did4  ,it wasn't
 sheep ,i was after--that there's my    
mistake4 ,it was goats4  ,guess ,i got  
yourn1 ,hank leered when stuck my gun in
 your back hair4  ,if any one's 'been   

usin' a high-power it wasn't on this    
butte1 ,joe growled4  ,none uh this     
bunch done any shootin'4  ,pap an'      
,hank1 they was up here huntin' burros  
an ,i caught yuh up a tree spyin'4 ,we  
got a little band uh antelope up here   
we're pertectin'4  ,our boss got himself
 made a deppity fer just such cases as  
yourn appears t' be--pervidin' your case
 ain't worse4  ,now you say your pardner
 was shot down below in your camp4 ,that
 shore looks bad fer you1 old-timer4    
,the boss'll shore have t' look into it 
when he gits here4  ,lucky we made up   
our minds t' hold yuh--a murderer1 like 
as not4  ,he filled his pipe with       
deliberation1 while ,casey1 his jaw     
sagging1 stared from one to the other4  
,casey had meant to accuse them to their
 faces of shooting ,barney and the      
burros from the rim-rock4  ,it had      
occurred to him that if they believed   
,barney dead1 they might reveal         
something of their purpose in the       
attack4  ,concealment1 he felt vaguely1 

would serve merely to sharpen their     
suspicion of him4  ,it had seemed very  
important to ,casey that these three    
should not know that ,barney was        
probably well on his way to ,barstow by 
now4  ,barney in ,barstow would mean    
,barney bearing news that ,casey ,ryan  
was undoubtedly murdered by outlaws in  
the ,panamints2 which would mean a few  
officers on the trail1 with ,barney to  
guide them to the spot4  ,paw and ,hank 
and ,joe--outlaws all1 he would have    
sworn would get what ,casey called their
 needin's4  ,his jaw muscles tightened  
when he thought of that1 and the        
prospect held him quiet under ,joe's    
injustice4  ,i can prove anything ,i'm  
asked to prove when the time comes1 he  
said sourly1 and began to roll himself a
 cigarette1 since his pipe had gone out4
  ,but ,i ain't in any courtroom yet1   
an' you fellers ain't any judge an'     
jury4  ,we got to hold ye1  ,paw spoke  
up unctiously1 as if the decision had   
been his4  ,ef a crime's been committed1

 like you say it has1 we got to do our  
duty an' hold ye4  ,the boss'll know    
what to do with ye--like ,i said all    
along2 when ,i hauled ye down outa that 
tree1 for instance4  ,aw1 shut up1 ,paw1
 you ol' fool1 you1 ,hank commanded     
again with filial gentleness4  ,he had  
yore tongue hangin' out a foot when ,i  
come along an' captured 'im4  ,don't go 
takin' no credit to yourself--you ain't 
got none comin'4  ,mart'll know what to 
do with 'im1 all right4  ,but yuh       
needn't go an' try to let on to ,mart   
that you was the one that caught 'im4   
,he had you caught4 ,an' he'd a killed  
yuh if ,i hadn't showed up an' pulled   
'im off'n yuh4  ,well now1 when it comes
 to ,,killin'1 ,casey interjected       
spitefully1 ,i guess ,i coulda put the  
two of yuh away if ,i'd a wanted to     
right bad4 ,casey ,ryan ain't no killer1
 because he don't have to be4  ,g'wan   
an' hold me if yuh feel that way4  ,grub
 ain't none too good1 but ,i can stand  
it till your boss comes4  ,i want a     

man-to-man talk with him1 anyway4       
,,chapter ,,five  ,that night ,casey    
slept soundly in a bunk built above     
,joe's bed in the dugout1 with ,hank and
 ,paw on the opposite side of the room  
with their guns handy4  ,in the morning 
he thought well enough of his stomach to
 get up and start breakfast when ,hank  
had built the fire4 ,he was aware of    
,joe's suspicious gaze from the lower   
bunk1 and of the close presence of      
,joe's six-shooter eyeing him balefully 
from underneath the top blanket4  ,hank1
 too1 was watchful as a coyote1 which he
 much resembled1 in ,casey's opinion4   
,but ,casey did not mind trifles of that
 kind1 once his mind was at ease about  
the breakfast and he was free to slice  
bacon the right thickness1 and mix the  
hot-cake batter himself4 ,for the first 
time in many weeks he sang--if you could
 call it singing--over his work4  ,when 
,casey ,ryan sings over a breakfast     
fire1 you may expect the bacon fried    
exactly right4  ,you may be sure the    

hot-cakes will be browned correctly with
 no uncooked dough inside1 and that the 
coffee will give you heart for whatever 
hardship the day may hold4  ,even ,paw's
 surliness lightened a bit by the time  
he had speared his tenth cake and       
walloped it in the bacon grease before  
sprinkling it thick with sugar and      
settling the eleventh cake on top4      
,casey was eyeing the fourteenth cake on
 ,hank's plate when ,joe looked up at   
him over a loaded fork4  ,save out      
enough dough for three good uns1 ,joe   
ordered1 an' fill that little coffee pot
 an' set it to keep hot1 before ,hank   
hogs the hull thing4  ,dad1 seems like  
you're1 too busy t' think uh some things
 ,mart wouldn't want forgot4  ,paw      
looked quickly at ,casey2 but ,casey    
,ryan had played poker all his life1 and
 his weathered face showed no expression
 beyond a momentary interest1 which was 
natural4  ,other feller hurt bad8 he    
inquired carelessly1  looking at ,joe's 
bandaged hand4  ,he almost grinned when 

he saw the relieved glances exchanged   
between ,joe and ,paw4  ,leg broke1 ,joe
 mumbled over a mouthful4  ,dad1 he set 
it an' it's doin' all right4  ,he's up  
in another cabin4  ,through ,hank's     
brainless titter1 ,joe added carefully1 
,bad ground in the first right-hand     
drift4 ,we had to abandon it4  ,rocks   
big as your head comin' in on yuh       
onexpected4  ,none uh them right-hand   
drifts is safe fer a man t' walk in1    
much less work4  ,thereupon ,casey      
related a thrilling story of a cave-in1 
and assured ,joe that he and his partner
 were lucky to get off with mere broken 
bones4 ,casey1 you will observe1 was    
running contrary to his nature and      
leaning to diplomacy4  ,for himself1 ,i 
am sure he would never have troubled to 
placate them4 ,he would have taken the  
first slim chance that offered--or made 
one--and fought the three to a finish4  
,but there was the old woman in the rock
 hut above them1 rocking back and forth 
and staring at a wall that had no       

visible opening save one small window to
 let in the light of outdoors4          
,prisoner she must be--though why1      
,casey could only guess4  ,perhaps she  
was some desert woman1 the widow of some
 miner who had been shot as these three 
had tried to shoot him and ,barney      
,oakes4 ,mean1 malevolent as they were1 
they would still lack the brutishness   
necessary to shoot an old woman4  ,so   
they had shut her up there in the rock  
hut1 not daring to take her back to     
civilization where she would tell of the
 crime4  ,it was all plain enough to    
,casey4  ,the story of the crippled     
miner made him curl his lip             
contemptuously when his back was safely 
turned from ,joe4  ,that day ,casey     
thought much of the old woman in the    
hut1 and of ,paw's worse than inferior  
cooking4  ,though he did not realize the
 change in himself1 six months of close 
companionship with the ,little ,woman   
had changed ,casey ,ryan considerably4  
,time was when even his soft-heartedness

 would not have impelled him to patient 
scheming that he might help an old woman
 whose sole claim upon his sympathy     
consisted of four rock walls and a look 
of calm despair in her eyes4  ,now1     
,casey was thinking and planning for the
 old woman more than for himself4       
,wherefore1 ,casey chose the time when  
he was putting in an upper 7which is    
miner's parlance for drilling a hole in 
the upper face of the tunnel74  ,he     
gritted his teeth when he swung back the
 single-jack and landed a glancing blow 
on the knuckles of his left hand instead
 of the drill end4  ,no man save ,casey 
,ryan or a surgeon could have told      
positively whether the metacarpal bones 
were broken or whether the hand was     
merely skinned and bruised4  ,joe came  
up1 regarded the bleeding hand sourly1  
led ,casey out to the dugout and        
bandaged the hand for him4  ,there would
 be no more tunnel work for ,casey until
 the hand had healed2 that was accepted 
without comment4  ,that night ,casey    

proved to ,paw that1 with one hand in a 
sling much resembling ,joe's1 he could  
nevertheless cook a meal that made      
eating a pleasure to look forward to4   
,after that the old woman in the little 
stone hut had pudding1 sometimes1 and   
cake made without eggs1 and pie2 and the
 potatoes were mashed or baked instead  
of plain boiled4 ,casey had the         
satisfaction of seeing the dishes return
 empty to the dugout1 and know that he  
was permitted to add something to her   
comfort and well-being4 ,the ,little    
,woman would be glad of that1 ,casey    
thought with a glow4  ,she might never  
hear of it1 but ,casey liked to feel    
that he was doing something that would  
please the ,little ,woman4  ,for the    
first few days after ,casey was         
installed as cook1 one of the three     
remained always with him1 making it     
plain that he was under guard4  ,two    
were always busy elsewhere4  ,casey saw 
that he was expected to believe that    
they were at work in the tunnel1 driving

 it in to a certain contact of which    
they spoke frequently and at length4    
,at supper they would mention their     
footage for that day's work1 and ,casey 
would hide a grin of derision4  ,casey  
knew rock as he knew bacon and beans and
 his sour-dough can4  ,to make the      
footage they claimed to be making in    
that tunnel1 they would need to shoot   
twice a day1 with a round of1 say1 five 
holes to a shot4  ,as a matter of fact1 
two holes a day1 one shot at noon and   
one at night1 were the most ,casey ever 
heard fired in the tunnel or elsewhere  
about the mine4  ,but he did not tell   
them any of the things he thought2 not  
even ,joe1 who had intelligence far     
above ,paw and ,hank1 ever guessed that 
,casey listened every day for their     
shots and could tell1 almost to an inch 
what progress they were actually making 
in the tunnel4  ,nor did he guess that  
,casey ,ryan with his mouth shut was    
more unsafe than giant powder laid out  
in the sun until it sweated destruction4

  ,persistent effort1 directed by an    
idea based solely upon an abstract      
theory1 must be driven by a trained     
intelligence4  ,in this case the        
abstract theory that every prisoner must
 be watched must support itself unaided 
by ,casey's behavior4  ,not even ,joe's 
intelligence was trained to a degree    
where the theory in itself was          
sufficient to hold him to the continuous
 effort of watching ,casey4  ,wherefore 
,paw1 ,hank and ,joe presently slipped  
into the habit of leaving ,casey alone  
for an hour or so2 being careful to keep
 the guns out of his reach1 and         
returning to the dugout at unexpected   
intervals to make sure that all was     
well4  ,casey ,ryan knew his pots and   
pans1 and how to make them fill his days
 if need be4  ,with savory suppers and  
his care-free1 ,casey ,ryan grin1 he    
presently lulled them into accepting him
 as a handy man around camp1 and into   
forgetting that he was at least a       
potential enemy4  ,afoot and alone in   

that unfriendly land1 with his left hand
 smashed and carried in a sling1 and on 
his tongue an ,irish joke that implied  
content with his captivity1 ,casey ,ryan
 would not have looked dangerous to more
 intelligent men than these three4      
,they should have looked one night under
 the bedding in ,casey's bunk4 ,more    
important still would have been the     
safeguarding of their giant powder and  
caps and fuse4  ,they should not have   
left it in a gouged1 open hollow under a
 boulder near the dugout4 ,they were not
 burdened by the weight of their brains1
 ,i imagine4  ,just here ,i should like 
to say a few words to those who are     
wholly ignorant of the devastating power
 contained in giant powder--which is    
dynamite4  ,if you have never had any   
experience with the stuff1 you are      
likely to go out with a bang and a puff 
of bluish-brown smoke when you go4  ,on 
the other hand1 you may believe the     
weird tales one reads now and then1 of  
how whole mountainsides have been thrown

 down by the discharge of a few sticks  
of dynamite4  ,or of one man striking   
terror to the very souls of a group of  
mutinous miners by threatening to throw 
a piece at them4  ,very well1 now this  
is the truth without any frills of      
exaggeration or any belittlement3       
,dynamite ,,may go off by being thrown  
so that it lands with a jar1 but it is  
not likely to be so hasty as all that4  
,whole boxes of it have been dropped off
 wagons traveling over rough trails1    
with no worse effect than a nervous     
chill down the spine of the driver of   
the wagon4  ,it is true that old stuff1 
after lying around for months and months
 through varying degrees of temperature1
 may perform erratically1 exploding when
 it shouldn't and refusing to explode   
when it should4  ,the average miner     
refuses to take a chance with stale     
giant if he can get hold of fresh4  ,one
 stick the size of an ordinary candle1  
and from that to a maximum amount of    
four sticks1 may be used to load a hole 

eighteen to twenty-four inches long1    
drilled into living rock4 ,the amount of
 dynamite used depends upon the quality 
of rock to be broken and the skill and  
good judgment of the miner4  ,in average
 hard-rock mining1 from three to five of
 these holes are drilled in a space     
four-by-six feet in area4  ,a stick of  
dynamite is exploded by inserting in one
 end of the stick a high-power          
detonating cap which will deliver a     
twenty-pound blow per ,x--whatever that 
means4  ,from three- to six-,x caps are 
used in ordinary mining4  ,three-,x caps
 sometimes fail to explode a stick of   
dynamite4  ,a six-,x cap1 delivering a  
one-hundred-and-twenty-pound blow1 may  
be counted upon to do the work without  
fail4  ,the cap itself is exploded by a 
spark running through a length of fuse1 
the length depending altogether upon the
 time required to reach a point of      
safety after the fuse is lighted4  ,the 
cap is really more dangerous to handle  
than is the dynamite itself4  ,the cap  

is a tricky thing that may go off at any
 jar or scratch or at a spark from pipe 
or cigarette4 ,you can1 if you are      
sufficiently careless of possible       
results1 light the twisted paper end of 
a stick of dynamite and watch the       
dynamite burn like wax in your fingers2 
it ,,may go off and set your friends to 
work retrieving portions of your body4  
,more likely1 it will do nothing but    
burn harmlessly4  ,well1 then1 a piece  
of fuse is inserted in the open end of  
the cap1 and the metal pressed tight    
against the fuse to hold it in place4   
,pressed down by the miner's teeth1     
sometimes1 if he has been long in the   
business and has grown careless about   
his head2 otherwise he crimps the cap on
 with a small pair of pliers or the back
 of his knife blade--and feels a bit    
easier when it is done without losing a 
hand4  ,you would think1 unless you are 
accustomed to the stuff1 that when five 
holes are loaded with1 probably1 ten or 
twelve sticks of dynamite to the lot1   

each hole containing a six-,x exploding 
cap as well1 that the first shot would  
likewise be the last shot and that the  
whole tunnel would cave in and the      
mountain behind it would shake4 ,nothing
 like that occurs4  ,if there are five  
loaded holes in the tunnel face1 and you
 do not hear1 one after the other1 five 
muffled ,,booms1 you will know that one 
hole failed to go off--and that the     
miner is worried4  ,it happens sometimes
 that four holes loaded with eight      
sticks of dynamite explode within a foot
 or so of the fifth hole and yet the    
fifth hole remains dead and a menace to 
the miner until it is discharged4  ,so  
please don't swallow those wild tales of
 a stick of dynamite that threw down a  
mountainside4  ,i once read a story--it 
was not so long ago--of a ,chinaman who 
wiped out a mine with a little piece of 
dynamite which he carried in his pocket4
  ,i laughed4  ,casey ,ryan1 on the     
first day when he was left alone with   
his crippled hand and his pots and pans 

for company1 did nothing whatever that  
he would not have done had one of the   
three been present4  ,he was suspicious 
of their going and thought it was a trap
 set to catch him in an attempted       
escape4  ,on the second day when the    
three went off together and left him    
alone1 ,casey went out gathering wood   
and discovered just where the powder1   
fuse and caps were kept under a huge1   
black boulder between the tunnel portal 
and the dugout4  ,on the third day he   
also gathered wood and helped himself to
 two sticks of dynamite1 three caps and 
eighteen inches of fuse4  ,not enough to
 be missed unless they checked their    
supply more carefully than ,casey       
believed they did2 but enough for       
,casey's purpose nevertheless4  ,that   
night1 while the moon shone in through  
the dingy window at the head of his bunk
 and gave him a little light to work by1
 ,casey sat up in bed and snored softly 
and with a soothing rhythm while he cut 
a stick of dynamite in two1 capped five 

inches of fuse for each piece working   
awkwardly with his one good hand and    
pinching the caps tight with his teeth1 
which might have sent him with a bang   
into ,kingdom ,come--and very carefully 
worked the caps into the powder until no
 more than three inches of fuse         
protruded from the end of the half      
stick4  ,it would have been less        
dangerous to land with a yell in the    
middle of the floor and fight the three 
men with one bare hand1 but ,casey's    
courage never turned a hair4  ,still    
snoring mildly1 he held up to the       
moonlight two deadly weapons and        
surveyed them with much satisfaction4   
,they would not be so quick1 as fiction 
would have them1 but if his aim was     
accurate in throwing1 they would be     
deadly enough4  ,moreover1 he could     
count with a good deal of certainty upon
 a certain degree of terror which the   
sight of them in his hand would produce4
  ,when ,casey ,ryan cooked breakfast   
next morning1 he carried two half-sticks

 of loaded dynamite under his hand in   
the sling4 ,can you wonder that even he 
shied at standing over the stove cooking
 hot cakes and complained that his      
broken hand pained him a lot and that   
the heat made it worse8  ,but a shrewd  
observer would have noticed on his face 
the expression of a cat that has been   
shut in the pantry over night4  ,joe    
volunteered to take another look at the 
hand and see if blood poison was setting
 in2 but ,casey said it didn't feel like
 blood poison4  ,he had knocked it      
against the bunk edge in his sleep1 he  
declared4  ,he'd dose 'er with iodine   
after a while1 and she'd be all right4  
,joe let it go at that1 being           
preoccupied with other matters at which 
,casey could only guess4  ,he conferred 
with ,paw outside the dugout after      
breakfast1 called ,hank away from the   
dish-washing and the three set off      
toward the tunnel with a brisker air    
than usually accompanied them to work4  
,casey watched them go and felt         

reasonably sure of at least two hours to
 himself4  ,the first thing ,casey did  
after he had made sure that he was      
actually alone was to remove the deadly 
stuff from the sling and lay it on a    
shadowed shelf where it would be safe   
but convenient to his hand4 ,then1 going
 to his bunk1 he reached under the      
blankets and found the other stick of   
dynamite which he had not yet loaded4   
,this he laid on the kitchen table and  
cut it in two as he had done last night 
with the other stick4  ,with his        
remaining cap he loaded a half and      
carried it back to his bunk4 ,he was    
debating in his mind whether it was     
worth while purloining another cap from 
a box under the boulder when another    
fancy took him and set him grinning4    
,four separate charges of dynamite1 he  
reasoned1 would not be necessary4 ,it   
was an even chance that the sight of a  
piece with the fuse in his hand would be
 sufficient to tame ,paw or ,hank or    
,joe--or the three together1 for that   

matter--without going further than to   
give them a sight of it4  ,with that    
idea uppermost1 ,casey split the paper  
carefully down the side of the remaining
 half-stick1 took out the contents in a 
tin plate and carried it outside where  
he buried it in the sand beneath a bush4
 ,returning to the dugout he made a     
thick dough of leftover pancake batter  
and molded it into the dynamite wrapping
 with a fragment of harmless fuse       
protruding from the opened end4 ,when   
the thing was dry1 ,casey thought it    
would look very deadly and might be     
useful4  ,after several days of         
helplessness for want of a weapon1      
,casey was in a mood to supply himself  
generously4  ,he finished the           
dish-washing1 working awkwardly with one
 hand4 ,after that he put a kettle of   
beans on to boil1 filled the stove with 
pinon sticks and closed the drafts4  ,he
 armed himself with the two loaded      
pieces of dynamite from the cupboard1   
filled his pockets with such other      

things as he thought he might need1 and 
went prospecting on his own account4    
,at the portal of the tunnel he stopped 
and listened for the ping-g1 ping-g of a
 single-jack striking steadily upon     
steel4 ,but the tunnel was silent1 the  
ore car uptilted at the end of its track
 on the dump4 ,yet the three men were   
supposedly at work in the mine1 had     
talked at breakfast about wanting to    
show a certain footage when the boss    
returned1 and of needing to hurry4      
,casey went into the tunnel1 listening  
and going silently2 sounds travel far in
 underground workings4  ,at the mouth of
 the first right-hand drift he stopped  
again and listened4  ,this1 if he would 
believe ,joe1 was the drift where the   
bad ground had caused the accident to   
,joe and his partner whose leg had been 
broken4 ,casey found the drift as silent
 as the main tunnel4  ,he went in ten   
feet or so and lighted the candle he had
 pulled from inside his shirt4 ,with the
 candle held in the swollen fingers of  

his injured hand1 and a prospector's    
pick taken from the portal in his other1
 ,casey went on cautiously1 keeping an  
eye upon the roof which1 to his wise1   
squinting eyes1 looked perfectly solid  
and safe4  ,if a track had ever been    
laid in this drift it had long since    
been removed4  ,but a well-defined path 
led along its center with boot tracks   
going and coming1 blurring one another  
with much passing4 ,casey grinned and   
went on1 his ears cocked for any sound  
before or behind1 his shoes slung over  
his arm by their tied laces4  ,so he    
came1 in the course of a hundred feet or
 so1 to a crude door of split cedar     
slabs1 the fastening padlocked on his   
side4 ,casey had vaguely expected some  
such bar to his path1 and he merely gave
 a grunt of satisfaction that the lock  
was old and on his side of the door4    
,with his jackknife ,casey speedily took
 off one side of the lock and opened it4
  ,making the door appear locked behind 
him when he had passed through was a    

different matter1 and ,casey did not    
attempt it4  ,instead1 he merely closed 
the door behind him1 carrying the       
padlock in with him4  ,as ,casey        
reviewed his situation1 being on the    
butte at all was a risk in itself4  ,one
 detail more or less could not matter so
 much4 ,besides1 he was a bold ,casey   
,ryan with two loaded half-sticks of    
dynamite in his sling4  ,a crude ladder 
against the wall of a roomy stope beyond
 the door did not in the least surprise 
him4  ,he had expected something of this
 sort4 ,when he had topped the ladder   
and found himself in a chamber that     
stretched away into blackness1 he       
grunted again his mental confirmation of
 a theory working out beautifully in    
fact4 ,his candle held close to the     
wall1 he moved forward along the        
well-trodden path1 looking for a door4  
,mechanically he noticed also the       
formation of the wall and the vein of   
ore--probably high-grade in pockets1 at 
least--that had caused this chamber to  

be dug4  ,the ore1 he judged1 had long  
since been taken out and down through   
the stope into the tunnel and so out    
through the main portal4 ,these workings
 were old and for mining purposes       
abandoned4 ,but just now ,casey was     
absorbed in solving the one angle of the
 mystery which he had stumbled upon at  
first1 and he gave no more than a glance
 and a thought to the silent testimony  
of the rock walls4  ,he found the door1 
fastened also on the outside just as he 
had expected it would be4  ,beside it   
stood a rather clever heating apparatus 
which ,casey did not examine in detail4 
,his ,irish heart was beating rather    
fast while he unfastened the door4      
,beyond that door his thoughts went     
questing eagerly but he hesitated       
nevertheless before he lifted his       
knuckles and rapped4  ,there was no     
reply4  ,casey waited a minute1 knocked 
again1 then pulled the door open a crack
 and looked in4  ,the old woman sat     
there rocking back and forth1 steadily1 

quietly4  ,but her thin fingers were    
rolling a corner of her apron hem       
painstakingly1 as if she meant to hem it
 again4 ,her eyes were fixed absently   
upon the futile task4  ,casey watched   
her as long as he dared and cleared his 
throat twice in the hope that she would 
notice him4 ,but the old woman rocked   
back and forth and rolled her apron hem2
 unrolled it and carefully rolled it    
again4  ,good morning1 ma'am1 said      
,casey1 clearing his throat for the     
third time and coming a step into the   
room with his candle dripping wax on the
 floor4  ,for just an instant the uneasy
 fingers paused in their rolling of the 
apron hem4  ,for just so long the       
rockers hesitated in their motion4 ,but 
the old woman did not reply nor turn her
 face toward him2 and ,casey pushed the 
door shut behind him and took two more  
steps toward her4  ,i come to see if yuh
 needed anything1 ma'am2 a friend1      
mebbe4 ,casey grinned amiably1 wanting  
to reassure her if it were possible to  

make her aware of his presence4  ,they  
had yuh locked in1 ma'am4 ,that don't   
look good to ,casey ,ryan4  ,if yuh     
wanta get out--if they got yuh held a   
prisoner here1 or anything like 'that1  
you can trust ,casey ,ryan any old time4
 ,is--can ,i do anything for yuh1 ma'am8
 ,the old woman dropped her hands to her
 lap and held them there1 closely       
clasped4  ,her head swung slowly round  
until she was looking at ,casey with    
that awful1 fixed stare she had         
heretofore directed at the wall or the  
floor4  ,tell those hell-hounds they    
have a thousand years to burn--every one
 of them6 she said in a deep1 low voice 
that had in it a singing resonance like 
a chant4  ,every cat1 every rat1 every  
mouse1 every louse1 has a thousand      
year's to burn4  ,tell ,mart the hounds 
of hell must burn6  ,her voice carried a
 terrible condemnation far beyond the   
meaning of the words themselves4  ,it   
was as if she were pronouncing the doom 
of the whole world4 ,every cat1 every   

rat1 every mouse1 every louse--  ,casey 
,ryan's jaw dropped an inch4  ,he backed
 until he was against the door4  ,he had
 to swallow twice before he could find  
his voice1 and those of you who know    
,casey ,ryan will appreciate that4 ,he  
waited until she had finished her       
declaration4  ,no1 ma'am1 you're wrong4 
,i come up here to see if ,i could help 
yuh4  ,hounds of hell--black as the     
bottomless pit that spewed you forth to 
prey upon mankind6  ,the world will have
 to burn4  ,tell those hounds of hell   
that bay at the gibbous moon the world  
will have to burn4  ,every cat1 every   
rat1 every mouse1 every louse has a     
thousand years to burn6  ,casey ,ryan1  
with his mouth half open and his eyes   
rather wild1 furtively opened the door  
behind him4  ,still meeting fixedly the 
dull glare of the old woman's eyes1     
,casey slid out through the door and    
fastened it hastily behind him4  ,with  
an uneasy glance now and then over his  
shoulder as if he feared the old woman  

might be in pursuit of him1 he hurried  
back down the ladder to the closed door 
in the drift1 pulled the door shut      
behind him and put the padlock in place 
before he breathed naturally4  ,he      
stopped then to put on his shoes1 made  
his way to the drift opening and        
listened again for voices or footsteps4 
,when he found the way clear he hurried 
out and back to the dugout4  ,the first 
thing he did was to fill his pipe and   
light it4  ,even then the sonorous voice
 of the old woman intoning her dreadful 
proclamation against the world rang in  
his ears and sent occasional ripples of 
horror down his spine4  ,seen through   
the window1 she had looked a sad1 lonely
 old lady who needed sympathy and help4 
,at closer range she was terrible4      
,casey was trying to forget her by      
busying himself about the stove when    
,joe walked in unexpectedly4  ,joe stood
 just inside the door1 staring at ,casey
 with a glassy look in his eyes4        
,something in ,joe's face warned ,casey 

of impending events2 but with that      
terrible old woman still fresh in his   
mind1 ,casey was in the mood to welcome 
distraction of any sort4  ,he shifted   
his hand in the sling so that his       
concealed weapons lay more comfortably  
therein1 secure from detection1 and     
waited4  ,joe leaned forward1 lifted an 
arm slowly and aimed a finger at ,casey 
accusingly4  ,pap says that you're a    
,federal officer6 he began1 waggling his
 finger at ,casey4  ,pap thinks you come
 here spyin' around t' see what we're up
 to on this here butte4  ,now1 you can't
 pull nothin' like that6  ,you can't get
 away with it4  ,hank1 he wants t' bump 
yuh off an' say nothin' to anybody4     
,now1 ,i come t' have it out with yuh4  
,if you're a ,federal officer we're     
goin' t' settle with yuh an' take no    
chances4  ,mart1 he's more easy-goin' in
 some ways1 on account of havin' his    
crazy ol' mother on 'is hands t' take   
care of4  ,mart don't want no           
killin'--on account of his mother goin' 

loony when 'is dad got killed4  ,but    
,mart ain't here4 ,pap an' ,hank1 they  
been at me all mornin' t' let 'em bump  
yuh off4  ,but ,pap an' ,hank1 they're  
drunk1 see8  ,i'm the only sober man    
left on the job4  ,so ,i come up here t'
 settle with yuh myself4 ,takes a sober 
man with a level head t' settle these   
things4  ,now1 if you come up here      
spyin' an' snoopin'1 you git bumped off 
an' no argument about it4 ,mart's got   
his mother t' take care of--an' we aim  
t' pertect ,mart4  ,if you're a ,federal
 officer1 ,i want t' know it here an'   
now4  ,if yuh ain't1 ,i want yuh t'     
sample some uh the out-kickin'est       
',white ,mule' yuh ever swallered4  ,now
 which are yuh1 and what yuh goin' t'   
do8  ,i want my answer here an' now1 an'
 no argument an' no foolin'6  ,casey    
blinked but his mouth widened in a grin4
  ,me1 ,i never went lookin' fer nothin1
 ,i wouldn't put under my vest1 ,joe1 he
 declared convincingly4  ,so that was   
it6  ,he was thinking against time4     

,moonshiners as well as would-be        
murderers they were--and ,joe drunk and 
giving them away like a fool4  ,casey   
wished that he knew where ,hank and ,paw
 were at this moment4  ,he hoped1 too1  
that ,joe was right--that ,hank and ,paw
 were drunk4  ,he'd have the three of   
them tied in a row before dark1 in any  
case4  ,the thing to do now was to humor
 ,joe along--leave it to ,casey ,ryan6  
,joe was uncorking a small1 flat bottle 
of pale liquor4  ,now he held it out to 
,casey4  ,casey took it1 thinking he    
would pretend to drink1 would urge ,joe 
to take a drink2 it would be simple1    
once he got ,joe started4 ,but ,joe had 
a few ideas of his own concerning the   
celebration4  ,he pulled a gun          
unexpectedly1 leaned against the closed 
door to steady himself and aimed it full
 at ,casey4  ,in just two minutes ,i'm  
goin' t' shoot if that there bottle     
ain't empty1 he stated gravely1 nodding 
his head with intense pride in his      
ability to handle the situation4  ,if   

you're a ,federal officer1 yuh won't    
dast t' drink4  ,if yuh ain't1 you'll be
 almighty glad to4 ,anyway1 it'll be    
settled one way or t'other4 ,drink 'er  
down6  ,casey blinked again1 but this   
time he did not grin4  ,he debated      
swiftly his chance of scaring ,joe with 
the dynamite before ,joe would shoot4   
,but ,joe had his finger crooked with   
drunken solemnity upon the trigger4 ,the
 time for dynamite was not now4  ,pap   
an' ,hank1 they lap up anything an' call
 it good4  ,i claim that's got a        
back-action kick to it4  ,drink 'er     
down6  ,casey drank 'er down4  ,it was  
like swallowing flames4 ,it was a       
half-pint flask1 and it was full when   
,casey1 with ,joe's eyes fixed upon him1
 tilted it and began to drink4  ,under  
,joe's baleful glare ,casey emptied the 
flask before he stopped4  ,joe settled  
his shoulders comfortably against the   
doorway and watched ,casey make for the 
water bucket4  ,i claim that's the      
out-kickin'est stuff that ever was made 

on ,black ,butte4  ,how'd yuh like it8  
,all right1 ,casey bore witness1 keeping
 his eyes fixed on ,joe and the gun and 
trying his best to maintain a nonchalant
 manner4 ,i'd call it purty fair hootch4
  ,it's ,,good hootch6 ,joe declared    
impressively1 apparently quite convinced
 that ,casey was not a ,federal officer4
  ,can yuh feel the kick'to it8  ,casey 
backed until he sat on the edge of the  
table his good right hand supporting his
 left elbow outside the sling4  ,he     
grinned at ,joe and while he still      
keenly realized that he was playing a   
part for the sole purpose of gaining    
somehow an advantage over ,joe1 he was  
conscious of a slight giddiness4  ,an   
unprejudiced observer would have noticed
 that his grin was not quite the old1   
,casey ,ryan grin4  ,it was a shade     
foolish4  ,bet your life ,i can feel the
 kick6 he agreed1 nodding his head4 ,you
 can ask anybody4  ,then ,casey         
discovered something strange in ,joe's  
appearance4  ,he lifted his head1 held  

it very still and regarded ,joe         
attentively4  ,say1 ,joe1 what yuh      
tryin' to do with that six-gun8  ,tryin'
 to write your name in the air with it8 
,joe looked inquiringly down at the gun1
 eyeing it as if it were a new and      
absolutely unknown object4  ,he         
satisfied himself apparently beyond all 
doubt that the gun was doing nothing it 
should not do1 and finally turned his   
attention to ,casey sitting on the table
 and grinning at him meaninglessly4     
,ain't writin' nothin'1 ,joe stated     
solemnly4  ,it's yore eyes4 ,gun's all  
right--yo'r seein' crooked4  ,it's the  
hootch4 ,back-action kick to it4  ,ain't
 that right8  ,that's right1 nodded     
,casey and he added1 grinning more      
foolishly1 ,darn right1 that's right6   
,back-action kick--bet your life4  ,joe 
pushed the gun inside his waistband and 
crooked his finger at ,casey1 beckoning 
mysteriously4  ,c'mon an' ,i'll show yuh
 how it's made1 he invited with heavy   
enthusiasm4  ,yore a judge uh hootch all

 right--,i can see that4  ,i'll show yuh
 how we do it4  ,best ,white ,mule in   
,nevada4  ,ain't that right8  ,ain't    
that the real hootch8  ',s right1 all   
right1 ,casey agreed earnestly4         
,puttin' the hoot in hootch--you        
fellers4  ,you can ask anybody if that  
ain't right4  ,joe laughed hoarsely4    
,puttin' the hoot in hootch--that's     
right4 ,i knowed you was all right4     
,didn't ,i say you was8  ,i told ,hank  
an' ,pap you wasn't no ,federal officer4
  ,they know it1 too4 ,i was foolin'    
back there4  ,i knowed you didn't need  
no gun pulled on yuh t' make yuh put    
away the hootch4  ,lapped it up like a  
thirsty hound4 ,i knowed yuh would--,i  
was kiddin' yuh1 runnin' that razoo with
 the gun4  ,ain't that right8  ,darn    
right1 that's right6 ,i knew you was    
foolin' all along4 ,you knew ,casey     
,ryan's all right--sure1 you knowed it6 
,casey laid his good hand               
investigatively against his stomach4    
,pretty hot hootch--you can ask anybody 

if it ain't6  ,workin' like an air drill
 a'ready4  ,he blinked inquisitively at 
,joe1 who stared back inquiringly4      
,who's your friend8  ,casey demanded    
pugnaciously4  ,he sneaked in on yuh4   
,i never seen 'im come in4  ,joe turned 
slowly and looked behind him at the     
blank boards of the unpainted door4     
,just as slowly he turned back to       
,casey4  ,a slow grin split his leathery
 face4  ,ain't nobody4  ,it's the       
hootch4 ,told yuh1 didn't ,i8  ,gittin' 
the best of yuh1 ain't it8              
,c'mon--,i'll show yuh how it's made4   
,take a barr'l t' git the besta--,casey 
,ry'n1 ,casey boasted1 his words        
blurring noticeably4  ,where's y'r      
,white ,mule8  ,let 'er kick--,casey    
,ry'n can lead 'er an' tame 'er--an'    
make'r eat outa 's hand6 ,following     
,joe1 ,casey stepped high over a rock no
 bigger than his fist4  ,with a lurch he
 straightened and tried to pull his     
muddled wits out of the fog that was    
fast enveloping them4  ,dimly he sensed 

the importance of this discovery which  
,joe had forced upon him4 ,in flashes of
 normalcy he knew that he must see all  
he could of their moonshine operations4 
,he must let them think he was drunk    
until he knew all their secrets4 ,he    
assured himself vaguely that he must1   
above all things1 keep his head4  ,but  
it was all pretty hazy and rapidly      
growing hazier4 ,casey ,ryan1 you must  
know1 was not what is informally termed 
a drinking man4 ,in his youth he might  
have been able to handle a sudden       
half-pint of moonshine whisky and keep  
as level a head as he now strove        
valiantly to retain4 ,but ,casey's later
 years had been more temperate than most
 desert men would believe4              
,unfortunately virtue is not always it  
own reward2 at least ,casey now found   
himself the worse for past abstinences4 
,joe led him into the tunnel1 laughing  
sardonically because ,casey found it    
scarcely wide enough for his oscillating
 progress4 ,they turned into a drift4   

,casey did not know which drift it was1 
though he tried foggily to remember4    
,he was still1 you must know1 trying to 
keep a level head and gain valuable     
information for the sheriff who he hoped
 would return to the butte with ,barney4
  ,paw and ,hank were wrangling         
somewhere ahead4  ,casey could hear     
their raised voices mingled in a        
confused rumbling in the pent walls of  
the drift4  ,casey thought they passed  
through a doorway1 and that ,joe closed 
a heavy door behind them1 but he was not
 sure4  ,memory of the old woman        
intoning her horrible anathema surged   
back upon ,casey with the closing of the
 door4  ,the voices of ,hank and ,paw he
 now mistook for the ravings of the     
woman in the stone hut4 ,casey balked   
there1 and would not go on4  ,he did not
 want to face the old woman again1 and  
he said so repeatedly--or believed that 
he did4  ,joe caught him by the arm and 
pulled him forward by main strength4    
,the voices of ,paw and ,hank came      

closer and clarified into words2 or did 
,casey and ,joe walk farther and come   
into their presence8  ,they were all    
standing together somewhere1 in a large1
 underground chamber with a hole letting
 in the sunlight high up on one side4   
,casey was positive there was a hole up 
there1 because the sun shone in his eyes
 and to avoid it he moved aside and fell
 over a bucket or a keg or something4   
,hank laughed loudly at the spectacle1  
and ,paw swore because the fall startled
 him2 but it was ,joe who helped ,casey 
up4  ,casey knew that he was sitting on 
a barrel--or something--and telling a   
funny story4  ,he thought it must be    
very funny indeed1 because every one was
 laughing and bending double and        
slapping legs while he talked4 ,casey   
realized that here at last were men who 
appreciated ,casey ,ryan as he deserved 
to be appreciated4 ,tears ran down his  
own weathered cheeks--tears of mirth4   
,he had never laughed so much before in 
all his life1 he thought4  ,every one1  

even ,paw1 who was normally a mean1     
cantankerous old cuss1 was having the   
time of his life4  ,they attempted to   
show ,casey certain intricacies of their
 still1 which made it better than other 
stills and put a greater kick in the    
,white ,mule it bred4  ,somewhere back  
in the dim recesses of ,casey's mind1 he
 felt that he ought to listen and       
remember what they told him4  ,vaguely  
he knew that he must not take another   
drink1 no matter how insistent they     
were4  ,in the brief glow of that       
resolution ,casey protested that he     
could hoot without any more hootch4     
,but he hated to hurt ,paw's feelings1  
or ,hank's or ,joe's4 ,they had made the
 hootch with a new and different twist1 
and they were honestly anxious for his  
judgment and approval4  ,he decided that
 perhaps he really ought to take a      
little more just to please them2 not    
much--a couple of drinks maybe4         
,wherefore1 he graciously consented to  
taste the run of the day before4        

,thereafter ,casey ,ryan hooted to the  
satisfaction of everybody1 himself most 
of all4  ,after an indeterminate        
interval the four left the still1 taking
 a bottle with them so that it might be 
had without delay1 should they meet a   
snake or a hydrophobia skunk or some    
other venomous reptile4 ,it was ,casey  
who made the suggestion1 and he became  
involved in difficulties when he        
attempted the word venomous4 ,once      
started ,casey was determined to        
pronounce the word and pronounce it     
correctly1 because ,casey ,ryan never   
backed up when he once started4 ,the    
result was a peculiar humming which     
accompanied his reeling progress down   
the drift 7now so narrow that ,casey    
scraped both shoulders frequently7 to   
the portal4  ,they stopped on the flat  
of the dump and argued over the         
advisability of taking a drink apiece   
before going farther1 as a sort of      
preventive4 ,joe told them solemnly that
 they couldn't afford to get drunk on   

the darn' stuff4  ,it had too hard a    
back-action kick1 he explained1 and they
 might forget themselves if they took   
too much4  ,it was important1 ,joe      
explained at great length1 that they    
should not forget themselves4 ,the boss 
had always impressed upon them the grim 
necessity of remaining sober whatever   
happened4  ,we never ,,have got drunk1  
,joe reiterated1 and we can't afford t' 
git drunk now4  ,we've got t' keep level
 heads1 snakes or no snakes4  ,casey    
,ryan's head was level4  ,he wabbled up 
to ,joe and told him so to his face1    
repeating the statement many times and  
in many forms4  ,he declaimed it all the
 way up the path to the dugout1 and when
 they were standing outside4  ,beyond   
all else1 ,casey was anxious that ,joe  
should feel perfectly certain that he1  
,casey ,ryan1 knew what he was doing1   
knew what he was saying1 and that his   
head was and always had been            
perr-rf'c'ly level-l-l4  ,jus' t'       
prove-it--,i c'n kill that              

jack-over-there--without-no-gun6 ,casey 
bragged bubblingly1 running his words   
together as if they were being poured in
 muddy liquid from his mouth4  ,b'lieve 
it8 ,think-,i-can't8  ,the three turned 
circumspectly and stared solemnly at a  
gray burro with a crippled front leg    
that had limped to the dump heap within 
easy throwing distance from the cabin   
door4  ,hobbling on three legs it went  
nosing painfully amongst a litter of tin
 cans and bent paper cartons1 hunting   
garbage4  ,as if conscious that it was  
being talked about1 the burro lifted its
 head and eyed the four mournfully1 its 
ears loosely flopping4  ,how8 questioned
 ,paw1 waggling his beard disparagingly4
  ,spit 'n 'is eye8  ,talk 'm t' death1 
,hank guessed with imbecile shrewdness4 
,think-,i-can't8  ,what'll--y'bet8      
,they disputed the point with drunken   
insistence and mild imprecations1 ,hank 
and ,paw and ,joe at various times      
siding impartially for and against      
,casey4  ,casey gathered the impression 

that none of them believed him4  ,they  
seemed to think he didn't know what he  
was talking about4  ,they even          
questioned the fact that his head was   
level4  ,he felt that his honor was at  
stake and that his reputation as a      
truthful man and a level-headed man was 
threatened4  ,while they wrangled1 the  
fingers of ,casey's right hand fumbled  
unobserved in the sling on his left1    
twisting together the two short lengths 
of fuse so that he might light both as  
one piece4 ,even in his drunkenness     
,casey knew dynamite and how best to    
handle it4  ,judgment might be          
dethroned1 but the mechanical details of
 his profession were grooved deep into  
habit and were observed automatically   
and without the aid of conscious        
thought4  ,he braced himself against the
 dugout wall and raised his hand to the 
cigarette he had with some trouble      
rolled and lighted4 ,a spitting splutter
 arose1 that would have claimed the     
attention of the three1 had they not    

been unanimously engaged in trying to   
out-talk one another upon the subject of
 ,casey's ability to kill a burro       
seventy-five feet away without a gun4   
,casey glanced at them cunningly1 drew  
back his right hand and pitched         
something at the burro4  ,y' watch 'im6 
he barked1 and the three turned around  
to look1 with no clear conception of    
what it was they were expected to watch4
  ,the burro jerked its head up1 then   
bent to sniff at the thin curl of powder
 smoke rising from amongst the cans4    
,paw and ,hank and ,joe were lifted some
 inches from the ground with the        
explosion4 ,they came down in a hail of 
gravel1 tin cans and fragments of burro4
 ,casey1 flattened against the wall in  
preparation for the blast1 laughed      
exultantly4  ,paw and ,hank and ,joe    
picked themselves up and clung together 
for mutual support and comfort4  ,they  
craned necks forward1 goggling          
incredulously at what little was left of
 the burro and the pile of tin cans4    

',z that a bumb8  ,paw cackled nervously
 at last1 clawing gravel out of his     
uncombed beard4  ',z got me all shuck   
up4 ,whar's that 'r bottle8  ',z goin'  
t' eat a bumb--ol' fool burro6  ,hank   
chortled weakly1 feeling tenderly       
certain nicks on his cheeks where gravel
 had landed4 ,paw1 you ol' fool1 you1   
don't hawg the hull thing--gimme a      
drink6  ,casey's sure all right1 came   
,joe's official ,o4,k4 of the           
performance4 ,casey said 'e c'd do      
it--'n' ,casey done it6  ,he turned and 
slapped ,casey somewhat uncertainly on  
the back1 which toppled him against the 
wall again4  ,good'n on us1 ,casey6     
,darn' good joke on us--'n' on the      
burro6  ,whereupon they drank to ,casey 
solemnly1 and one and all1 they         
proclaimed that it was a ,,very good    
joke on the burro4  ,a merciful joke1   
certainly2 as you would agree had you   
seen the poor brute hungry and hobbling 
painfully1 hunting scraps of food       
amongst the litter of tin cans4  ,after 

that1 ,casey wanted to sleep4  ,he      
forced admissions from the three that   
he1 ,casey ,ryan1 was all right and that
 he knew exactly what he was doing and  
kept a level head4  ,he crawled         
laboriously into his bunk1 shoes1 hat   
and all2 and1 convinced that he had     
defended his honor and preserved the    
,casey ,ryan reputation untarnished1 he 
blissfully skipped the next eighteen    
hours4    ,,chapter ,,six  ,casey awoke 
under the vivid impression that some one
 was driving a gadget into his skull    
with a double-jack4  ,the smell of bacon
 scorching filled his very soul with the
 loathing of food4  ,the sight of ,joe  
calmly filling his pipe roused ,casey to
 the fighting mood--with no power to    
fight4  ,he was a sick man2 and to      
remain alive was agony4  ,the squalid   
disorder and the stale aroma of a       
drunken orgy still pervaded the dugout  
and made it a nightmare hole to ,casey4 
,hank came tittering to the bunk and    
offered him a cup of coffee1 muddy from 

too long boiling1 and ,joe grinned over 
his pipe at the colorful language with  
which ,casey refused the offering4      
,better take a brace uh hootch1 ,joe    
suggested with no more than his normal  
ill nature4  ,i got some over at the    
still we made awhile back that1 ain't   
quite so kicky4  ,been agin' it in wood 
an' charcoal4 ,that tones 'er down4     
,i'll go git yuh some after we eat4     
,kinda want a brace1 myself4  ,that new 
hootch shore is a kickin' fool4  ,paw   
accepted this remark1 as high praise1   
and let three hot cakes burn until their
 edges curled while he bragged of his   
skill as a maker of moonshine4  ,paw    
himself was red-eyed and loose-lipped   
from yesterday's debauch4  ,hank's whole
 face1 especially in the region of his  
eyes1 was puffed unbecomingly4  ,casey1 
squinting an angry eye at ,hank and the 
cup of coffee1 spared a thought from his
 own misery to acknowledge surprise that
 anything on earth could make ,hank more
 unpleasant to look upon4 ,joe had a    

sickly pallor to prove the potency of   
the brew4  ,for such is the way of      
moonshine when fusel oil abounds1 as it 
does invariably in new whisky distilled 
by furtive amateurs working in secret   
and with neither the facilities nor the 
knowledge for its scientific            
manufacture4  ,there is grim            
significance in the sardonic humor of   
the man who first named it ,white ,mule4
  ,the kick is certain and terrific2    
frequently it is fatal as well4  ,the   
worst of it is1 you never know what the 
effect will be until you have drunk the 
stuff2 and after you have drunk it1 you 
are in no condition to resist the effect
 or to refrain from courting further    
disaster4  ,that is what happened to    
,casey4  ,the poison in the first       
half-pint1 swallowed under the eye of   
,joe's six-shooter1 upset his judgment4 
,the poison in his further potations    
made a wholly different man of ,casey   
,ryan2 and the after effect was so      
terrific that he would have swallowed   

cyanide if it promised relief4  ,he     
gritted his teeth and suffered tortures 
until ,joe returned and gave him a drink
 of whisky in a chipped granite cup4    
,almost immediately he felt better4     
,the pounding agony in his head eased   
perceptibly and his nerves ceased to    
quiver4  ,after a while he sat up1 gazed
 longingly at the water bucket and      
crawled down from the bunk4 ,he drank   
largely in great gulps4  ,his bloodshot 
eyes strayed meditatively to the coffee 
pot4  ,after an undecided moment he     
walked uncertainly to the stove and     
poured himself a cup of coffee4  ,casey 
lifted the cup to drink1 but the smell  
of it under his nose sickened him4  ,he 
weaved uncertainly to the door1 opened  
it and threw out the coffee--cup and    
all4  ,which was nature flying a storm  
flag1 had any one with a clear head been
 there to observe the action and the    
look on ,casey's face4  ,gimme another  
shot uh that damn' hootch1 he growled4  
,joe pushed the bottle toward ,casey1   

eyeing him curiously4  ,that stuff they 
run yesterday shore is kicky1 ,joe      
ruminated sympathetically4  ,pap's proud
 as pups over it4  ,he thinks it's the  
real article--but ,i dunno4  ,shore laid
 yuh out1 ,casey1 an' yuh never got     
much1 neither4  ,not enough t' lay yuh  
out the way it did4 ,y' look sick4  ,i  
,,am sick6  ,casey snarled1 and poured  
himself a drink more generous than was  
wise4  ,when ,casey ,ryan says he's     
sick1 you can put it down he's ,,sick6  
,he don't want nobody tellin' 'im       
whether 'e's sick 'r not4--he ,,knows   
'e's sick6  ,he drank1 and swore that it
 was rotten stuff not fit for a hawg    
7which was absolute truth74  ,then he   
staggered to the stove1 picked up the   
coffee pot1 carried it to the door and  
flung it savagely outside because the   
odor offended him4  ,mart got back last 
night1 ,joe announced casually4 ,you was
 dead t' the world4  ,but we told 'im   
you was all right1 an' ,i guess he aims 
t' give yuh steady work an' a cut-in on 

the deal4  ,we been cleanin' up purty   
good money--but ,mart says the market   
ain't what it was2 too many gone into   
the business4  ,you're a good cook an' a
 good miner an' a purty good feller all 
around--only the boss says you'll have  
t' cut out the booze4  ',j you tell 'im 
you ,,made me drink it8  ,casey halted  
in the middle of the floor1 facing ,joe 
indignantly4  ,i told 'im ,i put it up  
t' yuh straight--what your business is1 
an' all4  ,you got no call t'           
kick--didn't ,i go swipe this bottle uh 
booze for yuh t' sober up on1 soon as   
the boss's back was turned8 ,i knowed   
yuh needed it2 that's why4  ,we all     
needed it4 ,i'm just tellin' yuh the    
boss don't approve of no celebrations   
like we had yest'day4  ,i got up early  
an' hauled that burro outa sight 'fore  
he seen it4  ,that's how much a friend  
,i be1 an' it wouldn't hurt yuh none to 
show a little gratitude6  ,gratitude1   
hell6  ,a lot ,i got in life t' be      
grateful for6 ,casey slumped down on the

 nearest bench1 laid his injured hand   
carefully on the table and leaned his   
aching head on the other while he       
discoursed bitterly on the subject of   
his wrongs4  ,his muddled memory fumbled
 back to his grievance against traffic  
cops1 distorting and magnifying the     
injustice he had received at their      
hands4 ,he had once had a home1 a wife  
and a fortune1 he declared1 and what had
 happened8  ,laws and cops had driven   
him out1 had robbed him of his home and 
his family and sent him out in the hills
 like a damned kiotey1 hopin' he'd      
starve to death4 ,and where1 he asked   
defiantly1 was the gratitude in that8   
,he told ,joe ramblingly but more or    
less truthfully how he had been betrayed
 and deserted by a man he had           
befriended2 one ,barney ,oakes1 upon    
whom ,casey would like to lay his hands 
for a minute4  ,what ,i done to the     
burro ain't nothin' t' what ,i'd do t'  
that hound uh hell6 he declared1        
pounding the table with his good fist4  

,homeless1 friendless2 but ,joe was his 
friend1 and ,paw and ,hank were his     
friends--and besides them there was in  
all the world not one friend of ,casey  
,ryan's4  ,they were good friends and   
good fellows1 even if they did put too  
much hoot in their hootch4 ,casey ,ryan 
liked his hootch with a hoot in it4  ,he
 was still hooting 7somewhat            
incoherently it is true1 with recourse  
now and then to the bottle because he   
was sick and he didn't give a darn who  
knew it7 when the door opened and he    
whom they called ,mart walked in4  ,joe 
introduced him to ,casey1 who sat still 
upon the bench and looked him over with 
drunken disparagement4  ,casey had a    
hazy recollection of wanting to see the 
boss and have it out with him1 but he   
could not recall what it was that he had
 been so anxious to quarrel about4      
,mart was a slender man of middle       
height1 with thin1 intelligent face and 
a look across the eyes like the old     
woman who rocked in the stone hut4  ,he 

glanced from the bottle to ,casey1      
eyeing him sharply4  ,drunk or sober1   
,casey was not the man to be stared     
down2 nevertheless his fingers strayed  
involuntarily to his shirt collar and   
pulled fussily at the wrinkles4  ,so    
you're the man they've been holding here
 for my inspection1 ,mart said coolly1  
with a faint smile at ,casey's evident  
discomfort4 ,you're still hitting it up1
 ,i see4 ,joe1 take that bottle away    
from him4  ,when he's sober enough to   
talk straight1 ,i'll give him the third 
degree and see what he really is1       
anyway4 ,guess he's all right--but he   
sure can lap up the booze4  ,that's a   
point against him4  ,casey's hand went  
to the bottle1 beating ,joe's by three  
inches4 ,he did not particularly want   
the whisky1 but it angered him to hear  
,mart order it taken from him4  ,away   
back in his mind where reason had gone  
into hiding1 ,casey knew that some great
 injustice was being done him2 that he1 
,casey ,ryan1 was not the man they were 

calmly taking it for granted that he    
was4  ,with the bottle in his hand he   
rose and walked unsteadily to his bunk4 
,he did not like this man they called   
the boss4  ,he remembered that in his   
bunk1 under the bedding1 he had         
concealed something that would make him 
the equal of them all4  ,he fumbled     
under the blankets1 found what he sought
 and with his back turned to the others 
he slipped the thing into his sling out 
of sight4  ,mart and ,joe were talking  
together by the table1 paying no        
attention to ,casey1 who was groggily   
making up his mind to crawl into his    
bunk and take another sleep4  ,he still 
meant to have it out with ,mart1 but he 
did not feel like tackling the job just 
now4  ,mart turned to the door and ,joe 
got up to follow him1 with a careless   
glance over his shoulder at ,casey1 who 
was lifting a foot as if it weighed a   
great deal1 and was groping with it in  
the air trying to locate the edge of the
 lower bunk4  ,joe laughed1 but the     

laugh died in his throat1 choked off    
suddenly by what he saw when ,mart      
pulled open the door4  ,casey turned    
suspiciously at the laugh and the sound 
of the door opening4  ,he swung round   
and steadied himself with his back      
against the bunk when he saw ,mart and  
,joe lift their hands and hold them     
there1 palms outward1 a bit higher than 
their heads4 ,something in the sight    
enraged ,casey unreasoningly4  ,a flick 
of the memory may have carried him back 
to the old days in the mining camps when
 ,casey drove stage and hold-ups were   
frequent4  ,what 'r yuh tryin' to pull  
on me now8 he bawled1 and rushed        
headlong toward them1 pushing them      
forcibly out into the open with a       
collision of his body against ,joe4     
,outside1 a voice harshly commanded him 
to throw up his hands--and it was then  
that ,casey ,ryan's ,irish fighting     
blood boiled and bubbled over4          
,unconsciously he pushed his hat forward
 over one eye1 drew back his lips in a  

fighting grin1 stepped down off the low 
doorsill with a lurch that nearly sent  
him sprawling and went weaving          
belligerently toward a group of five men
 whose attitude was anything but        
conciliatory4  ,casey ,ryan6  ,i'm      
dogged if it ain't ,casey6 exclaimed a  
familiar voice in the group1 whereat the
 others looked astonished4 ,through his 
slits of swollen lids ,casey glared     
toward the voice and recognized ,barney 
,oakes1 grinning at him with what ,casey
 considered a ,judas treachery4 ,he saw 
two men step away from ,joe and the     
boss1 leaving them in handcuffs4  ,take 
them irons off'n my friends6 bellowed   
,casey as he charged4 ,whadda yuh think 
you're doin'1 anyway8  ,take 'em off6   
,it's ,casey ,ryan that's tellin' yuh1  
an' yuh better heed what he says1 before
 you're tore from limb to limb6  ,b-but1
 ,casey6  ,this 'ere's a shurf's possy6 
,the voice of ,barney rose in a         
protesting 'squawk4  ,i brung 'em all   
the way over here to your rescue6  ,they

 brung a cor'ner to view your remains6  
,don't you know your pardner1 ,,barney  
,,oakes8  ,ah-h--,i know yuh think ,i   
don't8  ,i know yuh to a fare-yuh-well6 
,brung a cor'ner1 did yuh8  ,tha's all  
right--goin' t' need a cor'ner-but he   
won't set on ,casey ,ryan's remains--you
 c'n ask anybody if any cor'ners ever   
set on ,casey ,ryan yit6  ,naw4 ,casey  
snarled as contemptuously as was        
possible to a man in his condition4 ,no 
cor'ner ever set on ,casey ,ryan1 an' he
 ain't goin' to6  ,the men glanced      
questioningly at one another4  ,one     
laughed4 ,he was a large1 smooth-jowled 
man inclined to portliness1 and his     
laugh vibrated his entire front         
contagiously so that the others grinned 
and took it for granted that ,casey     
,ryan was a comedy element introduced   
unexpectedly where they had thought to  
find him a tragedy4  ,no1 you're a      
pretty lively man for me to sit on2 ,i  
admit it1 the portly man remarked4  ,i'm
 the  coroner1 and it looks as if ,i    

wouldn't sit1 this trip4  ,casey eyed   
him blearily1 not in the least mollified
 but instead swinging to a certain      
degree of lucidity that was nevertheless
 governed largely by the hoot he had    
swallowed in the hootch4  ,there's part 
of a burro 'round here some'er's you c'n
 set on1 ,casey informed him grimly1 and
 fumbled in his coat pocket for his     
pipe4  ,he drew it out empty1 looked at 
it and returned it to his pocket4  ,one 
who knew ,casey intimately would have   
detected a hidden purpose in his manner4
  ,the warning was faint1 indefinable at
 best1 and difficult to picture in      
words4  ,one might say that an intimate 
acquaintance would have detected a false
 note in ,casey's defiance4 ,his manner 
was restrained just when violence would 
have been more natural4  ,damn a pipe1  
,casey grumbled with drunken petulance4 
,anybody got a cigarette8  ,i'm         
single-handed an' ,i ain't able t' roll 
'em4  ,it was the coroner himself who   
handed ,casey a tailor-made4 ,casey     

nodded glumly1 accepted a match and     
lighted the cigarette almost as if he   
were sober4  ,he looked the group over  
noncommittally1 eyed again the handcuffs
 on ,mart and ,joe1 sent a veiled glance
 toward ,barney ,oakes and turned away4 
,he still held the center of the stage4 
,fully expecting to find him dead1 the  
sheriff and his men were slow to adjust 
themselves to the fact that he was very 
much alive and very drunk and apparently
 not greatly interested in his rescue4  
,casey halted in his unsteady progress  
toward the dugout4  ,the sheriff was    
already questioning his two prisoners   
about other members of the gang2 but he 
looked up when ,casey lifted up his     
voice and spoke his mind of the moment4 
,brung a cor'ner1 did yuh1 lookin' for  
some one to set on6 ,barney ,oakes is   
the man that'll need a cor'ner in a     
minute4 ,you're all goin' to need 'im4  
,casey ,ryan never stood around yit     
whilst his friends was hobbled up by a  
shurf--turn 'em loose an' turn 'em loose

 quick6  ,an' git back away from ,barney
 ,oakes so he won't drop on yuh in      
chunks--,i'll fix 'im for yuh to set on6
  ,his hand had gone up to his          
cigarette1 but only ,joe knew what was  
likely to follow4  ,joe gave a yell of  
warning1 ducked and ran straight away   
from the group4  ,the sheriff yelled    
also and gave chase4  ,the group was    
broken--luckily--just as ,casey heaved  
something in that direction4  ,i blowed 
up a jackass yesterday when they thought
 ,i couldn't--,i'll blow up a bunch of  
'em to-day6  ,yuh c'n set on what's left
 uh ,barney ,oakes6  ,the explosion     
scattered dirt and small stones--and the
 sheriff's posse4 ,casey sent one       
malevolent glance over his shoulder as  
he stumbled into the dugout4  ,missed   
'im6 he grumbled disgustedly to himself 
when he saw no fragments of ,barney     
falling4  ,his ferociousness1 like the  
dynamite1 annihilated itself with the   
explosion4  ,missed 'im6 ,casey ,ryan's 
gittin' old2 old an' sick an' a damn'   

fool4  ,missed 'im with the last        
shot--drunk--drunk an' don't give a     
darn6  ,he slammed the door shut behind 
him1 pushed his hat forward so violently
 that it rested on the bridge of his    
nose1 and wabbled over to his bunk4     
,this time his foot found the edge of   
the lower bunk1 and he scratched and    
clawed his way up and rolled in upon the
 blankets4  ,he was asleep and snoring  
when the sheriff1 edging his way in as  
if he were an animal trainer's          
apprentice entering the lion's cage1    
sneaked on his toes to the bunk and     
slipped the handcuffs on ,casey4        
,,chapter ,,seven  ,casey awoke almost  
sober and considerably surprised when he
 discovered the handcuffs4  ,his injured
 hand was throbbing from the poison in  
his system and the steel band on his    
swollen wrist4 ,his head still ached    
frightfully and his tongue felt thick   
and dry as flannel in his mouth4  ,he   
rolled over and sat up1 staring         
uncomprehendingly at the cabin full of  

men4  ,the sight of ,barney ,oakes      
recalled in a measure his performance   
with the dynamite2 at least1 he felt a  
keen disappointment that ,barney was    
alive and whole and grinning4 ,casey    
could not see what there was to grin    
about1 and he took it as a direct insult
 to himself4  ,mart and ,joe sat        
sullenly on a bench against the wall1   
and ,paw reclined in his bunk at the    
farther end of the room4  ,a            
blood-stained bandage wrapped ,paw's    
head turbanwise1 and his little1        
deep-set eyes gleamed wickedly in his   
pallid face4  ,casey looked for ,hank1  
but he was not there4  ,a strange man   
was cooking supper1 and ,casey wanted to
 tell him that he was slicing the bacon 
twice as thick as it should be4 ,the    
corpulent man1 whom he dimly remembered 
as a coroner1 was talking with a big1   
burly individual whom ,casey guessed was
 the sheriff4  ,a man came in and       
announced to the big man that the car   
was fixed and they could go any time4   

,mart1 who had been staring morosely    
down at his shackled wrists1 lifted his 
head and spoke to the sheriff4  ,you'll 
have to do something about my mother1 he
 said1 and bit his lip at the manner in 
which every head swung his way4  ,what  
about your mother8 the sheriff asked    
moving toward him4 ,is she here8  ,his  
eyes sent a quick glance around the room
 which obviously had four outside walls4
  ,mart swallowed4  ,she has a cabin to 
herself1 he explained constrainedly4    
,she--she isn't quite right4  ,strangers
 excite her4 ,she--hasn't been well     
since my father was killed in the mine2 
she's quiet enough with us--she knows   
us4  ,i don't know how she'll be now4   
,i'm afraid--but she can't be left here 
alone2 all ,i ask is1 be as gentle as   
you can4  ,the sheriff looked from him  
to ,joe4  ,joe nodded confirmation4     
,plumb harmless1 he said gruffly4  ,it  
,,is kinda--pitiful4 ,thinks everybody  
in the world is damned and going to hell
 on a long lope4  ,he gave a snort that 

resembled neither mirth nor disgust4    
,mebbe she's right at that1 he added    
grimly4  ,the sheriff asked more        
questions1 and ,mart stood up4  ,i'll   
show you where she is1 sure4  ,but can't
 you leave her be till we're ready to   
start8  ,she--it ain't right to bring   
her here4  ,she'll want her supper1 the 
sheriff reminded ,mart4 ,we'll be       
driving all night4 ,is she sick abed8   
,casey lay down again and turned his    
face to the wall4  ,he remembered the   
old woman now1 and he hoped sincerely   
they would not bring her into the cabin4
  ,but whatever they did1 ,casey wanted 
no part in it whatever4 ,he wanted to be
 left alone1 and he wanted to think4    
,more than all else he wanted not to see
 again the old woman who chanted        
horrible things while she rocked and    
rocked4  ,he was roused from uneasy     
slumber by two officious souls1 one of  
whom was ,barney ,oakes4  ,their        
intentions were kindly enough1 they only
 wanted to give him his supper4  ,but   

,casey wanted neither supper nor kindly 
intentions1 and he was still            
unregenerately regretful that ,barney   
,oakes was not lying out on the garbage 
heap in a more or less fragmentary      
condition4  ,they raised him to a       
sitting posture1 and ,casey swung his   
legs over the edge of the bunk and      
delivered a ferocious kick at ,barney   
,oakes4  ,he caught ,barney under the   
chin1 and ,barney went down for several 
counts4  ,after that ,casey wore hobbles
 on his feet1 and was secretly rather   
proud of the fact that they considered  
him so dangerous as all that4  ,had his 
mood not been a sulky one which refused 
to have speech with any one there1 they 
would probably have found it wise to gag
 him as well4  ,that is one night in    
,casey's turbulent life which he never  
recalled if he could help it4  ,two cars
 had brought the sheriff's party1 and   
one was a seven-passenger4  ,in the     
roomy rear seat of this car1 ,casey1    
shackled and savage1 was made to ride   

with ,mart and his mother4 ,two deputies
 occupied the folding seats and never   
relaxed their watchfulness4  ,casey's   
head still ached splittingly1 and the   
jolting of the car did not serve to ease
 the pain4  ,the old woman sat in the   
middle1 with a blanket wound round and  
round her to hold her quiet2 which it   
failed to do4  ,into ,casey's ear rolled
 the full volume of her rich contralto  
voice as she monotonously intoned the   
doom of all mankind--together with every
 cat1 every rat1 etc4 ,mart's fear had  
proved well-founded4 ,strangers had     
excited the woman and it was not until  
sheer exhaustion silenced her that she  
ceased for one moment her horrible      
chant4  ,i read the story in the morning
 paper1 and made a flying trip to ,san  
,bernardino4  ,casey was in jail1       
naturally2 but he didn't care much about
 that so long as he owned a head with an
 air-drill going inside4 ,at least1 that
 is what he told me when ,i was let in  
to see him4  ,i was working to get him  

out of there on bail if possible before 
,i sent word to the ,little ,woman1     
hoping she had not read the papers4  ,i 
had some trouble piecing the facts      
together and trying to get the straight 
of things before ,i sent word to the    
,little ,woman4 ,i went out and got him 
some medicine guaranteed1 by the doctor 
who wrote the prescription1 to take the 
hoot out of the hootch ,casey had       
swallowed4  ,that afternoon ,casey left 
off glaring at me1 sat up1 accepted a   
cigarette and consented to talk4  --an' 
all ,i got to say is1 ,barney ,oakes is 
a liar an' the father uh liars4  ,i     
never was in cahoots with him at no     
time4  ,when he says ,i got 'im to      
foller a ,joshuay palm jest to git 'im  
out in the hills an' kill 'im off1 he   
lies4  ,let 'im come an' tell me that   
there story6  ,casey was still slightly 
abnormal1 ,i noticed1 so ,i calmed him  
as best ,i could and left him alone for 
a time4  ,there was some hesitancy about
 the bail1 too1 which ,i wished to      

overcome4 ,throwing that half-stick of  
dynamite might be construed as an       
attempt at wholesale murder4  ,i did not
 want the county officials to think too 
long and harshly about the matter4  ,i  
explained later to ,casey that ,barney  
,oakes had reported his disappearance to
 the officials in ,barstow4  ,the       
sheriff's office had long suspected a   
nest of moonshiners somewhere near      
,black ,butte1 and it was rumored that  
one ,mart ,hanson1 who owned a mine up  
there1 was banking more money than was  
reasonable1 these hard times1 for a     
miner1 who ships no ore4  ,casey's      
disappearance had crystallized the      
suspicions into an immediate            
investigation4  ,and ,barney's assertion
 that ,casey had been murdered took the 
coroner along with the posse4  ,it had  
all been straight and fairly simple     
until they reached the mine and         
discovered ,casey uproariously one of   
the gang4  ,throwing loaded dynamite at 
sheriffs is frowned upon nowadays in the

 best official circles1 ,i told ,casey2 
he would have to explain that in court1 
,i was afraid4  ,then ,barney1 after    
,casey had kicked him in the chin1 had  
reversed his first report of the trouble
 and was now declaiming to all who would
 listen that he had been decoyed to     
,black ,butte by ,casey ,ryan and there 
ambushed and nearly killed4  ,casey1 as 
,barney now interpreted the incident1   
had joined his confederates under the   
very thin pretense of climbing the butte
 to come at them from behind4 ,barney   
now remembered that he had been shot at 
from three different angles1 and that   
the burros had been killed by pistol    
shots fired at close range--presumably  
by ,casey ,ryan4  ,it was like taming   
tigers to make ,casey sit still and     
listen to all this1 but ,i had to do it 
so that he would know what to disprove4 
,afterwards ,i had a talk with ,joe and 
,paw1 separately1 and so got at the     
whole truth4  ,they bore no malice      
toward ,casey and were perfectly willing

 to see him out of the scrape4  ,they   
were a sobered pair2 ,hank1 like a fool1
 had fired at the posse and was killed4 
,the next day came the ,little ,woman to
 the rescue4  ,i told her the whole     
story1 not even omitting the burro1     
before she went to the jail to see      
,casey4  ,it was a pretty mess--take it 
all around--and ,i was secretly somewhat
 doubtful of the outcome4  ,the ,little 
,woman is game as women are made4  ,she 
went with me to the jail1 and she met   
,casey with a whimsical smile4  ,we     
found him sitting on the side of his    
bunk with his legs stretched out and his
 feet crossed1 his good hand thrust in  
his trousers pocket and a cigarette in  
one corner of his mouth1 which turned   
sourly downward4 ,he cocked an eye up at
 us and rose1 as the ,little ,woman had 
maybe taught him was proper4 ,but he did
 not say a word until the ,little ,woman
 walked up and kissed him on both       
cheeks1 turning his face this way and   
that with her hand under his chin4      

,casey grinned sheepishly then and      
hugged her with his good arm4 ,i wish   
you could have seen the look in his eyes
 when they dwelt on the ,little ,woman6 
,casey ,ryan1 you need a shave4  ,and   
your shirt collar is a disgrace to a    
,piute1 she drawled reprovingly4  ,casey
 looked at me over her shoulder and     
grinned4  ,he hadn't a word to say for  
himself1 which was unusual in ,casey    
,ryan4  ,it's lucky for you1 ,casey     
,ryan1 that ,i remembered to go down to 
the police station and get the proof    
that you were pinched twice on ,broadway
 just five days before ,barney ,oakes   
says he found you stalled in the trail  
north of ,barstow2 and that you had been
 pinched pretty regularly every         
whip-stitch for the last six months1 and
 were a familiar and unwelcome figure in
 downtown traffic and elsewhere4  ,the  
sheriff who raided ,black ,butte        
admitted to me that it is utterly       
impossible for the world to hold more   
than one ,casey ,ryan at a time2 and    

that he1 for one1 is willing to accept  
the word of the city police that you    
were there raising the record for       
traffic trouble and not moonshining at  
,black ,butte4  ,he doesn't approve of  
throwing dynamite at people1 but--well1 
,i talked with the prosecuting attorney1
 too1 and they both seem to be mighty   
nice men and reasonable4  ,i'm afraid   
,barney ,oakes will see his beautiful   
story all spoiled4  ,he'll forget it    
when he feels the ruin to his face ,i'm 
goin' t' create for him if ,i ever meet 
up with 'im again1 ,casey commented     
grimly4  ,babe sent you a pincushion she
 made in school4  ,i think she made     
beautiful1 neat stitches in that ,c1    
went on the ,little ,woman in a placid1 
gossipy tone invented especially for    
domestic conversation4 ,and--oh1 yes6   
,there's a new laundryman on our route1 
and he ,,persists in running across the 
lawn and dumping the laundry in the     
front hall1 though ,i've told him and   
,,told him to deliver it at the back4   

,and there's a new tenant in ,number    
,six1 and they hadn't been in more than 
three days before he came home drunk and
 kept everybody in the house awake1     
bellowing up and down the hall and      
abusing his wife and all4  ,i told him  
held have to go when his month is up1   
but he says he'll be damned if he will4 
,he says he won't and ,i can't make him4
  ,he won't1 hey8  ,a familiar1 pale    
glitter came into ,casey's eyes4 ,you   
watch and see whether he goes or not6   
,he better tell ,casey ,ryan he won't   
go6  ,who'd1 they think's runnin' the   
place8 ,lemme ketch that laundry driver 
oncet1 runnin' across our lawn2 ,i'll   
run 'im across it--on his nose6  ,they  
take advantage of you quick as my back's
 turned4 ,i'll learn 'em they got ,casey
 ,ryan to reckon with6  ,the ,little    
,woman gave me a smiling glance over    
,casey's shoulder1 and lowered a        
cautious eyelid4  ,i left them then and 
went away to have a satisfying talk with
 the sheriff and the prosecuting        

attorney4    ,,chapter ,,eight  ,in the 
desert1 where roads are fewer and worse 
than they should be1 a man may travel   
wherever he can negotiate the rocks and 
sand1 and none may say him nay4  ,if any
 man objects1 the traveler is by custom 
privileged to whip the objector if he is
 big enough1 and afterwards go on his   
way with the full approval of public    
opinion4  ,he may blaze a trail of his  
own1 return that way a year later and   
find his trail an established           
thoroughfare4  ,in the desert ,casey    
gave trail to none nor asked reprisals  
if he suffered most in a sudden meeting4
  ,in ,los ,angeles ,casey was halted   
and rebuked on every corner1 so he      
complained2 hampered and annoyed by     
rules and regulations which desert      
dwellers never dreamed of4  ,since he   
kept the optimistic viewpoint of a      
child1 experience seemed to teach him   
little4 ,like the boy he was at heart1  
he was perfectly willing to make good   
resolutions--all of which were more or  

less theoretical and left to a kindly   
,providence to keep intact for him4  ,so
 here he was1 after we had pried him    
loose from his last predicament1        
perfectly optimistic under his fresh    
haircut1 and thinking the traffic cops  
would not remember him4  ,thinking1     
too--as he confided to the ,little      
,woman--that ,los ,angeles looked pretty
 good1 after all4 ,he was resolved to   
lead henceforth a blameless life4 ,it   
was time he settled down1 ,casey        
declared virtuously4  ,his last trip    
into the desert was all wrong1 and he   
wanted you to ask anybody if ,casey     
,ryan wasn't ready at any and all times 
to admit his mistakes1 if he ever       
happened to make any4 ,he was starting  
in fresh now1 with a new deal all around
 from a new deck4  ,he had got up and   
walked around his chair1 he told us1 and
 had thrown the ash of a left-handed    
cigarette over his right shoulder2 he'd 
show the world that ,casey ,ryan could  
and would keep out of gunshot of        

trouble4  ,he was rehearsing all this   
and feeling very self-righteous while he
 drove down ,west ,washington ,street4  
,true1 he was doing twenty-five where he
 shouldn't1 but so far no officer had   
yelled at him and he hadn't so much as  
barked a fender4  ,down across ,grand   
,avenue he larruped1 never noticing the 
terrific bounce when he crossed the     
water drains there 7being still fresh   
from desert roads74  ,he was still doing
 twenty-five when he turned into ,hill  
,street4  ,busy with his good           
resolutions and the blameless life he   
was about to lead1 ,casey forgot to     
signal the left-hand turn4  ,in the     
desert you don't signal1 because the    
nearest car is probably forty or fifty  
miles behind you and collisions are not 
imminent4                               
,west-,washington-and-,hill-,street     
crossing is not desert1 however4 ,a car 
was coming behind ,casey much closer    
than fifty miles2 one of those scuttling
 ,ford delivery trucks4  ,it locked     

fenders with ,casey when he swung to the
 left4  ,the two cars skidded as one    
toward the right-hand curb2 caught      
amidships a bright yellow1              
torpedo-tailed runabout coming up from  
,main ,street1 and turned it neatly on  
its back1 its four wheels spinning      
helplessly in the quiet1 sunny morning4 
,casey himself was catapulted over the  
runabout1 landing abruptly in a sitting 
position on the corner of the vacant lot
 beyond1 his self-righteousness         
considerably jarred4  ,a new traffic    
officer had been detailed to watch that 
intersection and teach a driving world  
that it must not cut corners4  ,a       
bright1 new traffic button had been     
placed in the geographical center of the
 crossing2 and woe be unto the          
right-hand pocket of any man who failed 
to drive circumspectly around it4  ,new 
traffic officers are apt to be keenly   
conscientious in their work4  ,at       
twenty-five dollars per cut1 sixteen    
unhappy drivers had been taught where   

the new button was located and had been 
informed that twelve miles per hour at  
that crossing would be tolerated1 and   
that more would be expensive4  ,not all 
drivers take their teaching meekly1 and 
the new traffic officer near the end of 
his shift had pessimistically decided   
that the driving world is composed      
mostly of blamed idiots and hardened    
criminals4  ,he gritted his teeth       
ominously when ,casey ,ryan came down   
upon the crossing at double the legal   
speed4  ,he held his breath for an      
instant during the crash that resounded 
for blocks4  ,when the dust had settled1
 he ran over and yanked off the dented  
sand of the vacant lot a dazed and      
hardened malefactor who had committed   
three traffic crimes in three seconds3  
he had exceeded the speed limit         
outrageously1 cut fifteen feet inside   
the red button1 and failed to signal the
 turn4  ,you damned1 drunken boob6      
shouted the new traffic cop and shook   
,casey ,ryan 7not knowing him74         

,shaking ,casey will never be safe until
 he is in his coffin with a lily in his 
hand4  ,he was considerably jolted1 but 
he managed a fourth crime in the next   
five minutes4  ,he licked the traffic   
cop rather thoroughly--,i suppose       
because his onslaught was wholly        
unexpected--kicked an expostulating     
minister in the pit of the stomach1 and 
was profanely volunteering to lick the  
whole darned town when he was finally   
overwhelmed by numbers and captured     
alive2 which speaks well for the ,l4 ,a4
 ,p4  ,wherefore ,casey ,ryan continued 
his ride down town in a dark car that   
wears a clamoring bell the size of a    
breakfast plate under the driver's foot1
 and a dark red ,l4 ,a4 ,police ,patrol 
sign painted on the sides4 ,two         
uniformed1 stern-lipped cops rode with  
him and didn't seem to care if ,casey's 
nose ,,was bleeding all over his vest4  
,a uniformed cop stood on the steps     
behind1 and another rode beside the     
driver and kept his eye peeled over his 

shoulder1 thinking he would be justified
 in shooting if anything started inside4
  ,boys on bicycles pedaled furiously to
 keep up1 and many an automobile barely 
escaped the curb because the driver was 
goggling at the mussed-up prisoner in   
the ,black ,maria4  ,the ,little ,woman 
telegraphed me at ,san ,francisco that  
night4 ,the wire was brief but          
disquieting4 ,it merely said1  ,,casey  
,,in ,,jail ,,serious ,,need ,,help4    
,but ,i caught the ,lark an hour later  
and thanked ,god it was running on time4
  ,the ,little ,woman and ,i spent two  
frantic days getting ,casey out of jail4
  ,the traffic cop's defeat had been    
rather public2 and just as soon as he   
could stand up straight in the pulpit1  
the minister meant to preach a series of
 sermons against the laxity of a police 
force that permits such outrages to     
occur in broad daylight4  ,more than    
that1 the thing was in the papers1 and  
people were reading and giggling on the 
street cars and in restaurants4         

,wherefore1 the ,l4 ,a4 ,p4 was on its  
tin ear4  ,even so1 much may be         
accomplished for a man so wholesomely   
human as ,casey ,ryan4  ,on the third   
day the charge against him was changed  
from something worse to  ,reckless      
driving and disturbing the peace4 ,casey
 was persuaded to plead guilty to that  
charge1 which was harder to accomplish  
than mollifying the ,l4 ,a4 ,p4  ,he    
paid two fifty-dollar fines and was     
forbidden to drive a car in the ,county 
of ,los ,angeles1 ,state of ,california1
 during the next succeeding period of   
two years4  ,he was further advised     
7unofficially but nevertheless with     
complete sincerity7 to pay all damages  
to the two cars he had wrecked and to   
ask the minister's doctor what was his  
fee2 a new uniform for the traffic cop  
was also suggested1 since ,casey had    
thrust his foot violently into the cop's
 pocket which was not tailored to resist
 the strain4  ,the judge also observed1 
in the course of the conversation1 that 

desert air was peculiarly invigorating  
and that ,casey should not jeopardize   
his health and well-being by filling his
 lungs with city smoke4  ,i couldn't    
blame ,casey much for the mood he was in
 after a setback like that to his good  
resolutions4  ,i was inclined to believe
 with ,casey that ,providence had lain  
down on the job4    ,,chapter ,,nine    
,at the corner of the ,plaza where      
traffic is heaviest1 a dingy ,ford      
loaded with camp outfit stalled on the  
street-car track just as the traffic    
officer spread-eagled his arms and      
turned with majestic deliberation to let
 the ,east-and-,west traffic through4   
,the motorman slid open his window and  
shouted insults at the driver1 and the  
traffic cop left his little platform and
 strode heavily toward the ,ford1       
pulling his book out of his pocket with 
the mechanical motion born of the grief 
of many drivers4  ,casey ,ryan1 clinging
 to the front step of the street car on 
his way to the apartment house he once  

more called home1 swung off and beat the
 traffic officer to the ,ford4  ,he     
stooped and gave a heave on the crank1  
obeyed a motion of the driver's head    
when the car started1 and stepped upon  
the running board4  ,the traffic officer
 paused1 waved his book warningly and   
said something4  ,the motorman drew in  
his head1 clanged the bell1 and the     
afternoon traffic proceeded to untangle4
  ,get in1 old-timer1 invited the driver
 whom ,casey had assisted4 ,casey did   
not ask whether the driver was going in 
his direction1 but got in chuckling at  
the small triumph over his enemies1 the 
police4  ,fords are mean cusses1 he     
observed sympathetically4  ,they like   
nothing better than to get a feller in  
bad4  ,but they can't pull nothin' on   
me4  ,i know 'em to a fare-you-well4    
,notice how this one changed 'er mind   
about gettin' you tagged1 soon as ,casey
 ,ryan took 'er by the nose8  ,are you  
,casey ,ryan8  ,the driver took his eyes
 off the traffic long enough to give    

,casey an appraising look that measured 
him mentally and physically4  ,say1     
,i've heard quite a lot about you4 ,bill
 ,masters1 up at ,lund1 has spoke of you
 often4  ,he knows you1 don't he8  ,bill
 ,masters sure had ought t' know me1    
,casey grinned4 ,in a big1 roaring1     
unfriendly city1 here sounded a         
friendly1 familiar tone2 a voice        
straight from the desert1 as it were4   
,casey forgot what had happened when    
,barney ,oakes crossed his path claiming
 acquaintance with ,bill ,masters1 of   
,lund4  ,he bit off a chew of tobacco1  
hunched down lower in the seat1 and     
prepared himself for a real conflab with
 the man who spoke the language of his  
tribe4  ,he forgot that he had just     
bought tickets to that evening's        
performance at the ,orpheum1 as a sort  
of farewell offering to his domestic    
goddess before once more going into     
voluntary exile as advised by the judge4
 ,pasadena ,avenue heard conversational 
fragments such as1 ,say6  ,do you       

know--8  ,was you in ,lund when--8      
,casey's new friend drove as fast as the
 law permitted4  ,he talked of many     
places and men familiar to ,casey1 who  
was in a mood that hungered for those   
places and men in a spiritual revulsion 
against the city and all its ways4      
,pasadena1 ,lamanda ,park1 ,monrovia--it
 was not until the car slowed for the   
,glendora speed-limit sign that ,casey  
lifted himself off his shoulder blades1 
and awoke to the fact that he was some  
distance from home and that the shadows 
were growing rather long4  ,say6  ,i    
better get out here and 'phone to the   
missus1 he exclaimed suddenly4  ,pull up
 at a drug store or some place1 will    
yuh8  ,i got to talkin' an' forgot ,i   
was on my way home when ,i throwed in   
with yuh4  ,aw1 you can 'phone any time4
  ,there is street cars running back to 
town all the time ,i or you can catch a 
bus anywhere's along here4 ,i got       
pinched once for drivin' through here   
without a tail-light2 and twice ,i've   

had blowouts right along here4  ,this   
town's a jinx for me and ,i want to slip
 it behind me4  ,casey nodded           
appreciatively4  ,every darn' town's a  
jinx for me1 he confided resentfully4   
,towns an' ,casey ,ryan don't agree4    
,towns is harder on me than sour beans4 
,yeah--,i guess ,l4 ,a4's a jinx for you
 all right4  ,i heard about your latest 
run-in with the cops4  ,i wish t' heck  
you'd of cleaned up a few for me4  ,i   
love them saps the way ,i like rat      
poison4  ,i've got no use for the clowns
 nor for towns that actually hands 'em  
good jack for dealin' misery to us guys4
  ,the bird never lived that got a      
square deal from 'em4  ,they grab yuh   
and dust yuh off--  ,they won't grab    
,casey ,ryan no more4  ,why1 lemme tell 
yuh what they done6  ,glendora slipped  
behind and was forgotten while ,casey   
told the story of his wrongs4  ,in no   
particular1 according to his version1   
had he been other than law-abiding4     
,nobody1 he declaimed heatedly1 had ever

 taken ,,him by the scruff of the neck  
and shaken him like a pup1 and got away 
with it1 and nobody ever would4 ,casey  
was ,irish and his father had been      
,irish1 and the ,ryan never lived that  
took sass and said thank-yuh4  ,his new 
friend listened with just that degree of
 sympathy which encourages the          
unburdening of the soul4  ,when ,casey  
next awoke to the fact that he was      
getting farther and farther away from   
home1 they were away past ,claremont and
 still going to the full extent of the  
speed limit4  ,his friend had switched  
on the lights4  ,i ,,got to telephone my
 wife6 ,casey exclaimed uneasily4  ,i'll
 gamble she's down to the police station
 right now1 lookin' for me4 ,an' ,i want
 the cops t' kinda forgit about me4  ,i 
got to talkin' along an' plumb forgot ,i
 wasn't headed home4  ,aw1 you can      
'phone from ,fontana4  ,i'll have to    
stop there anyway for gas4  ,say1 why   
don't yuh stall 'er off till morning8   
,you couldn't get home for supper now if

 yuh went by wireless4 ,i guess yuh     
wouldn't hate a mouthful of desert air  
after swallowing smoke and insults1 like
 yuh done in ,l4 ,a4  ,tell her you're  
takin' a ride to ,barstow4  ,you can    
catch a train out of there and be home  
to breakfast1 easy4  ,if you ain't got  
the change in your clothes for carfare1 
he added generously1 ,why1 ,i'll stake  
yuh just for your company on the trip4  
,whadda yuh say8  ,casey looked at the  
orange and the grapefruit and lemon     
orchards that walled the ,foothill      
,boulevard4  ,all trees looked alike to 
,casey1 and these reminded him          
disagreeably of the fruit stalls in ,los
 ,angeles4  ,well1 mebby ,i might go on 
to ,barstow4  ,too late now to take the 
missus to the show1 anyway4  ,i guess ,i
 can dig up the price uh carfare from   
,barstow back4  ,he chuckled with a     
sinful pride in his prosperity1 which   
was still new enough to be novel4  ,yuh 
don't catch ,casey ,ryan goin' around no
 more without a dime in his hind pocket4

 ,i've felt the lack of 'em too many    
times when they was needed4 ,casey      
,ryan's going to carry a jingle louder'n
 a lead burro from now on4  ,you can ask
 anybody4  ,you bet it's wise for a     
feller to go heeled1 the friend of ,bill
 ,masters responded easily4  ,you never 
know when yuh might need it4 ,well1     
there's a ,bell sign over there4  ,you  
can be askin' your wife's consent while 
,i gas up4  ,innocent pleasure2 the     
blameless joy of riding in a ,ford      
toward the desert1 with a prince of a   
fellow for company1 was not so easily   
made to sound logical and a perfectly   
commonplace incident over a             
long-distance telephone4  ,the ,little  
,woman seemed struck with a sense of the
 unusual2 her voice betrayed trepidation
 and she asked questions which ,casey   
found it difficult to answer4 ,that he  
was merely riding as far as ,barstow    
with a desert acquaintance and would    
catch the first train back1 she         
apparently failed to find convincing4   

,casey ,ryan1 tell me the truth4  ,if   
you're in a scrape again1 you know      
perfectly well that ,jack and ,i will   
have to come and get you out of it4 ,san
 ,bernardino sounds bad to me1 ,casey1  
and you're pretty close to the place4   
,do you really want me to believe that  
you're coming back on the next train8   
,sure as ,i'm standin' here6  ,what     
makes yuh think ,i'm in a scrape8       
,didn't ,i tell yuh ,i'm goin' to walk  
around trouble from now on8 ,when ,casey
 tells you a thing like that1 yuh got a 
right to put it down for the truth4 ,i'm
 going to ,barstow for a breath uh fresh
 air4 ,this is a feller that knows ,bill
 ,masters4  ,i'll be home to breakfast4 
,i ain't in no trouble an' ,i ain't     
goin' to be4 ,you can believe that or   
you can set there callin' ,casey ,ryan a
 liar till ,i git back4 ,g'by4          
,whatever the ,little ,woman thought of 
it1 ,casey really meant to do exactly   
what he said he would do4  ,and he      
really did not believe that trouble was 

within a hundred miles of him4          
,,chapter ,,ten  ,wanta drive8  ,casey's
 friend was rolling a smoke before he   
cranked up4  ,they tell me up in ,lund  
that no man livin' ever got the chance  
to look back and see ,casey ,ryan       
swallowing dust4  ,i've heard of some   
that's tried4  ,but ,i reckon1 he added 
pensively1 while he rubbed the damp edge
 of the paper down carefully with a     
yellowed thumb1 ,fords is out of your   
line1 now4  ,maybe you don't toy with   
nothin' cheaper than a twin-six4  ,well1
 you can ask anybody if ,casey ,ryan's  
the man to git big-headed6 ,money don't 
spoil ,,me none4  ,there ain't anybody  
c'n say it does4 ,casey ,ryan is ,casey 
,ryan wherever an' whenever yuh meet up 
with him4 ,yuh might mebby see me next1 
hazin' a burro over a ridge4  ,or yuh   
might see me with ten pounds uh flour1 a
 quart uh beans an' a sour-dough bucket 
on my back4  ,whichever way the game    
breaks--you'll be seein' ,casey ,ryan2  
an' you'll see 'im settin' in the game  

an' ready t' push his last white chip to
 the center4  ,i believe it1 ,casey4    
,darned if ,i don't4  ,well1 you drive  
'er awhile2 till yuh get tired1 anyway4 
,he bent to the crank1 gave a heave and 
climbed in1 with ,casey behind the      
wheel1 looking pleased to be there and  
quite ready to show the world he could  
drive4  ,say1 if ,i drive till ,i'm     
,,tired1 he retorted1 ,i'm liable to    
soak 'er hubs in the ,atlantic ,ocean   
before ,i quit4  ,and then1 mebby ,i'll 
back 'er out an' drive 'er to the end of
 ,venice ,pier just for pastime4  ,up in
 ,lund they're talkin' yet about your   
drivin'1 his new friend flattered him4  
,they say there's no stops when you get 
the wheel cuddled up to your chest4  ,no
 quittin' an' no passin' yuh by with a  
merry laugh an' a cloud of alkali dust4 
,i guess it's right4 ,i've been wantin' 
to meet yuh4  ,that there last remark   
sounds like a traffic cop ,i had a      
run-in with once6  ,casey               
snorted--merely to hide his             

gratification4 ,you sound good1 just to 
listen to1 but you ain't altogether     
believable4  ,there's men in ,lund      
that'd give an ear to meet me in a      
narrow trail with a hairpin turn an' me 
on the outside an' drunk4  ,they'd like 
it to be about a four-thousand-foot     
drop1 straight down4 ,lund as a town    
ain't so crazy about me that they'd     
close up whilst ,i was bein' planted1   
an' stop all traffic for five minutes4  
,a show benefit was sprung on ,lund     
once1 to help ,casey ,ryan that was     
supposed to be crippled4  ,an' ,i had to
 give a good ,ford--a ,,darn' good      
,ford6--to the benefitters1 so is they  
could git outa town ahead uh the howlin'
 mob4  ,that's how ,i know the way ,lund
 loves ,casey ,ryan4 ,yuh can't kid     
,,me1 young feller4  ,meanwhile1 ,casey 
swung north into ,cajon ,pass2 up that  
long1 straight1 cement-paved highway to 
the hills he showed his new friend how a
 ,ford could travel when ,casey ,ryan   
juggled the wheel4 ,the full moon was   

pushing up into a cloud bank over a high
 peak beyond the ,pass4 ,the few cars   
they met were gone with a whistle of    
wind as ,casey shot by4  ,he raced a    
passenger train from the mile           
whistling-post to the crossing1 made the
 turn and crossed the track with the    
white finger of the headlight bathing   
the ,ford blindingly4  ,he completed    
that ,s turn and beat the train to the  
next crossing half a mile farther on2   
where he spiked 'er tail1 as he called  
it1 stopping dead still and waiting     
jeeringly for the train to pass4  ,the  
engineer leaned far out of the cab      
window to bellow his opinion of such    
driving2 which was unfavorable to the   
full extent of his vocabulary4  ,nothin'
 the matter with a ,ford1 as ,i can see1
 ,casey observed carelessly1 when he was
 under way again4  ,you sure are some   
driver1 his new friend praised him1     
letting go the edge of the car and      
easing down again into the seat4 ,give  
yuh a ,ford and all the gas yuh can burn

 and ,i can't see that you'd need to    
worry none about any of them saps that  
makes it their business to interfere    
with travelin'4  ,i'm glad that moon's  
quit the job4 ,gives the headlights a   
show4  ,hit 'er up now1 fast as yuh     
like4 ,after that crossin' back there ,i
 ain't expectin' to tremble on no       
curves4  ,i see you're qualified to spin
 'er on a plate if need be4  ,and for a 
,ford1 she sure can travel4  ,casey     
therefore let 'er out1 and the ,ford    
went like a scared lizard up the winding
 highway through the ,pass4  ,at ,cajon 
,camp he slowed1 thinking they would    
need to fill the radiator before        
attempting to climb the steep grade to  
the summit4  ,but the young man shook   
his head and gave the highball4         
7,which1 if you don't already know it1  
is the signal for full speed ahead47    
,full speed ahead ,casey gave him1 and  
they roared on up the steep1 twisting   
grade to the summit of the ,pass4       
,casey began to feel a distinct         

admiration for this particular ,ford4   
,the car was heavily loaded--he could   
gauge the weight by the feel of the car 
as he drove yet it made the grade at    
twenty-five miles an hour and reached   
the top without boiling the radiator2   
which is better than many a more        
pretentious car could do4  ,too bad     
you've made your pile already1 the young
 man broke a long silence4  ,i'd like to
 have a guy like you for my pardner4    
,the desert ain't talkative none when   
you're out in the middle of it1 and you 
know there ain't another human in a     
day's drive4 ,i've been going it alone4 
,nine-tenths of these birds that are    
eager to throw in with yuh thinks that  
fifty-fifty means you do the work and   
they take the jack4  ,i'm plumb fed upon
 them pardnerships4  ,but if you didn't 
have your jack stored away--a hull      
mountain of it1 ,i reckon--,i'd invite  
yuh to set into the game with me2 ,i    
sure would4  ,casey spat into the dark  
beside the car4  ,they's never a pile so

 big a feller ain't willin' to make it  
bigger1 he replied sententiously4 ,fer1 
as ,i'm concerned1 ,casey's never backed
 up from a dollar yet4  ,but ,i ain't no
 wild colt no more1 runnin' loose an'   
never a halter mark on me4  ,i'm bein'  
broke to harness1 and it's stable an'   
corral from now on1 an' no more open    
range fer ,casey4  ,the missus hopes to 
high-school me in time4  ,she's a good  
hand--gentle but firm1 as the preacher  
says4 ,and ,i guess it's time fer ,casey
 ,ryan to quit hellin' around the       
country an' settle down an' behave      
himself4  ,i could put you in the way of
 adding some easy money to your bank    
roll1 the other suggested tentatively4  
,but ,casey shook his head4  ,twenty    
years ago yuh needn't have asked me     
twice1 young feller4 ,i'd 'a' drawed my 
chair right up and stacked my chips a   
mile high4  ,any game that come along1  
,i played 'er down to the last chip4    
,twenty years ago--yes1 er ten6--,casey 
,ryan woulda tore that ,l4 ,a4 jail down

 rock by rock an' give the roof t' the  
kids to make a playhouse4  ,them ,l4 ,a4
 cops never woulda hauled me t' jail in 
no wagon4 ,i mighta loaded 'em in       
behind1 and dropped 'em off at the first
 morgue an' drove on a-whistlin'4  ,that
 there woulda been ,casey ,ryan's gait a
 few years back4  ,take me now1 married 
to a good woman an' gettin' gray--      
,casey sighed1 gazing wishfully back at 
the ,casey ,ryan he had been and might  
never be again4  ,no1 sir1 ,i ain't so  
darned rich ,i ain't willin' to add a   
few more iron men to the bunch4  ,but on
 account of the missus ,i've got to     
kinda pick my chances4  ,i ain't had    
money so long but what it feels good to 
remind myself ,i got it4  ,i carry a    
thousand dollars or so in my inside     
pocket1 just to count over now an' then 
to convince myself ,i needn't worry     
about a grubstake4  ,i've got to soak it
 into my bones gradual that ,i can      
afford to settle down and live tame1    
like the missus wants4 ,stand-up collars

 every day1 an' step into a chiny       
bathtub every night an' scrub--when you 
ain't doin' nothin' to git dirt under   
your finger nails even6  ,funny1 the way
 city folks act4  ,the less they do to  
git dirty1 the more soap they wear out4 
,you can ask anybody if that ain't      
right4  ,can't chew tobacco in the      
house1 even1 'cause there's no place yuh
 dast to spit4  ,i stuck m' head out of 
the bedroom window oncet1 an ,i let fly 
an' it landed on a lady2 an' the missus 
went an' bought her a new hat an took my
 plug away from me4  ,i had to keep my  
chewin' tobacco in the tool-box of my   
car1 after that1 an' sneak out to the   
beach now an' then an' chew where ,i    
could spit in the ocean4  ,that's city  
life for yuh6  ,when ,i git to thinkin' 
about hittin' out into the hills        
prospectin1 or somethin'1 that roll uh  
dough ,i pack stands right on its hind  
legs an' says ,i got no excuse4  ,i've  
got enough to keep me in bacon an'      
beans1 anyway4  ,an' the missus gits    

down in the mouth when ,i so much as    
mention minin'4  ,a guy grows old fast  
when he quits the game and sets down to 
do the grandpa-by-the-fire4  ,first you 
know1 a clown that thinks it's time he  
took it easy is gummin' 'is grub1 and   
shiverin' when yuh open the door1 an'   
takin' naps in the daytime same as      
babies4 ,let a guy once preach he's     
gettin' old--  ,casey jerked the gas    
lever and jumped the car ahead          
viciously4 ,well1 now1 any time yuh see 
,,casey ,,ryan gummin' 'is grub an'     
needin' a nap after dinner--  ,a clown  
,,gits that way once he pulls out of the
 game4  ,i've saw it happen time an'    
again4  ,the young man laughed rather   
irritatingly4 ,say1 when ,i tell it to  
,bill ,masters that ,casey ,ryan has    
plumb played out his string an' laid    
down an' ,,quit1 by hock1 and can be    
seen hereafter ,,settin' ,,with ,a      
,,shawl ,,over ,,his ,,shoulders--      
,casey nearly turned the ,ford over at  
that insult4  ,he jerked it back into   

the road and sent it ahead again at a   
faster pace4  ,well1 now1 any time yuh  
see ,,casey ,,ryan settin' with a shawl 
over his shoulders--  ,well1 maybe not  
,,you2 but the bird sure comes to it    
that thinks he's too old to play the    
game4  ,why1 you'll never be ready to   
settle down6 ,take yuh twenty years from
 now--,i'd rather bank on a pardner like
 you'd be than some young clown that    
ain't had the experience4 ,from the     
yarns ,i've heard about yuh1 yuh don't  
back down from nothing4  ,and you're    
willing to give a pardner a chance to   
get away with his hide on him4 ,i'd     
rather be held up by the law than by    
some clown that's workin' with me4  ,he 
paused2 and when he1 spoke again his    
tone had changed to meet a prosaic      
detail of the drive4  ,stop here in     
,victorville1 will yuh1 ,casey8  ,i'll  
take a look at the radiator and maybe   
take on some more gas and oil4  ,i've   
been stuck on the desert a few times    
with an empty tank--and that learns a   

guy to keep the top of his gas tank full
 and never mind the bottom4  ,good idea1
 said ,casey shortly1 his own tone      
relaxing its tension of a few minutes   
before4  ,i run a garage over at ,patmos
 once1 an' the boobs ,i seen creepin' in
 on their last spoonful uh gas--walkin' 
sometimes for miles to carry gas back to
 where they was stalled--learnt ,casey  
,ryan to fill 'er up every chancet he   
gits4  ,but although the subject of age 
had been dropped half a mile back in the
 sand1 certain phrases flung at him had 
been barbed and had bitten deep into    
,casey ,ryan's self-esteem4  ,they stung
 and rankled there4  ,he had squirmed at
 the picture his new friend had so      
ruthlessly drawn with crude words1 but  
bold1 of doddering old age4 ,casey      
resented the implication that he might  
one day fill that picture4  ,he began   
vaguely to resent the ,little ,woman's  
air of needing to protect him from      
himself4  ,casey ,ryan1 he told himself 
boastfully1 had never needed protection 

from anybody4  ,he had managed for a    
good many years to get along on his own 
hook4  ,the ,little ,woman was all      
right1 but she was making a mistake--a  
big mistake--if she thought she had to  
close-herd him to keep him out of       
trouble4  ,he rolled a smoke and wished 
that the ,little ,woman would settle    
down with him somewhere in the desert1  
where he could keep a couple of burros  
and go prospecting in the hills4  ,where
 sagebrush could grow to their very door
 if it wanted to1 and the moon could    
show them long stretches of mesa land   
shadowed with mystery1 and then drop out
 of sight behind high peaks4  ,he felt  
that he might indeed grow old fast1 shut
 up in a city4 ,it occurred to him that 
the ,little ,woman was unreasonable to  
expect it of him4  ,her idea of getting 
him out of town for a time1 as the judge
 had advised1 was to send him up to ,san
 ,francisco to be close-herded there4   
,casey had promised to go1 but now the  
prospect jarred4  ,he wasn't            

feeble-minded1 that he knew of2 it      
seemed natural to want to do his own    
deciding now and then4  ,when he got    
back home in the morning1  ,casey meant 
to have a serious talk with the ,little 
,woman1 and get right down to cases1 and
 tell her that he was built for the     
desert1 and that you can't teach an old 
dog new tricks4  ,they been tryin' to   
make ,casey ,ryan over into something he
 ain't1 he muttered under his breath1   
while his new friend was in the garage  
office paying for the gas4  ,jack an'   
the ,little ,woman's all right1 but they
 can't drive ,casey ,ryan in no town    
herd4  ,cops is cops2 and they got 'em  
in ,san ,francisco same as they got 'em 
in ,l4 ,a4 ,if they got 'em1 ,i'll run  
agin' 'em4 ,i'll tell 'em so1 too4  ,the
 young man came out1 sliding silver     
coins into his trousers pocket4 ,he     
glanced up and down the narrow1 little  
street already deserted1 cranked the    
,ford and climbed in4  ,all set1 he     
observed cheerfully1 ,let's go6  ,casey 

slipped his cigarette to the upper1     
left-hand corner of his whimsical1      
,irish mouth1 forced a roar out of the  
little engine and whipped around the    
corner and across the track into the    
faintly lighted road that led past shady
 groves and over a hill or two1 and so  
into the desert again4  ,his new friend 
had fallen into a meditative mood1      
staring out through the windshield and  
whistling under his breath a pleasant   
little melody of which he was probably  
wholly unaware4  ,perhaps he felt that  
he had said enough to ,casey just at    
present concerning a possible           
partnership4 ,perhaps he even regretted 
having said anything at all4  ,casey    
himself drove mechanically1 his         
rebellious mood slipping gradually into 
optimism4  ,you can't keep ,casey ,ryan 
down for long2 in spite of his past     
unpleasant experiences he was presently 
weaving optimistic plans of his own4    
,the young fellow beside him seemed to  
return ,casey's impulsive friendship4   

,casey thought pleasureably of the      
possibility of their driving over the   
desert together1 sharing alike the      
fortunes of the game and the adventures 
of the trail4 ,casey himself had learned
 to be shy of partnerships--witness     
,barney ,oakes6--but any man with a drop
 of ,irish in his blood and a bit of    
,irish twinkle in his eye would turn his
 back on defeat and try again for a     
winning4  ,they had just passed over a  
hilly stretch with many turns and       
windings1 the moon blotted out          
completely now by the cloud bank4 ,for  
half an hour they had not seen any      
evidence that other human beings were   
alive in the world4  ,but when they went
 rattling across a small mesa where the 
sand was deep1 a car with one brilliant 
spotlight suddenly showed itself around 
a turn just ahead of them4  ,casey      
slowed down automatically and gave a    
twist to the steering wheel4 ,but the   
sand just here was deep and loose1 and  
the front wheels of the ,ford gouged    

unavailingly at the sides of the ruts4  
,casey honked the horn warningly and    
stopped full1 swearing a good1 ,caseyish
 oath4  ,the other car1 having made no  
apparent effort to turn out1 also       
stopped within a few feet of ,casey1 the
 spotlight fairly blinding him4  ,the   
young man beside ,casey slid up straight
 in the seat and stopped whistling4  ,he
 leaned out of the car and stared ahead 
without the dusty interference of the   
windshield4  ,you can back up a few     
lengths and make the turn-out all right1
 he suggested4  ,if ,i can back up1 so  
can he4  ,he's got as much road behind  
him as what ,i',,ve got1 ,casey retorted
 stubbornly4  ,he never made a try at   
turnin' out4  ,i was watchin'4  ,any    
time ,i can't lick a road hawg1 he's got
 a license to lick me4  ,make yourself  
comf'table1 young feller--we're liable  
to set here a spell4 ,casey grinned4  ,i
 spent four hours on a hill once1       
out-settin1 a road hawg that wanted me  
to back up4  ,the man in the other car  

climbed out and came toward them1       
walking outside the beams cast by his   
own glaring spotlight4  ,he bulked      
rather large in the shadows2 but ,casey 
,ryan1 blinking at him through the      
windshield1 was still ready and willing 
to fight if necessary4  ,or1 if         
stubbornness were to be the test1 ,casey
 could grin and feel secure4  ,a little 
man1 he reflected1 can sit just as long 
as a big man4  ,the big man walked      
leisurely up to the car and smiled as he
 lifted a foot to the running board4    
,he leaned forward1 his eyes going past 
,casey to the other man4  ,i kinda      
thought it was you1 ,kenner1 he drawled4
  ,how much liquor you got aboard       
to-night8  ,casey1 slanting a glance    
downward1 glimpsed the barrel of a big  
automatic looking toward them4  ,what if
 ,i ain't got any8 the young man parried
 glumly4  ,you're taking a lot for      
granted4  ,the big man chuckled4  ,if   
you ain't loaded with hootch1 it's      
because one of the boys met up with yuh 

before ,i did4  ,open 'er up4  ,lemme   
see what you got4  ,the young fellow    
scowled1 swore under his breath and     
climbed out1 turning toward the loaded  
tonneau with reluctant obedience4  ,i   
can't argue with the law1 he said1 as he
 began to pull out a roll of bedding    
wedged in tightly4  ,but1 for cripes    
sake1 go as easy as you can4  ,i'm plumb
 lame from my last fall6  ,the big man  
chuckled again4  ,the law's merciful as1
 it can afford to be1 and ,i've got a   
heart like an ox4  ,got any jack on yuh8
  ,i'm just about cleaned1 and that's   
the ,gawd's truth4  ,have a heart1 can't
 yuh8  ,a man's got t' live4  ,slip me  
five hundred1 anyway4  ,how much is your
 load8  ,sixty gallons--bottled1 most of
 it4  ,two kegs in bulk4  ,young ,kenner
 was proceeding stoically with the      
unloading4  ,casey1 his mouth clamped   
tight shut1 was glaring stupifiedly     
straight out through the windshield4    
,pile out thirty gallons of the bottled 
goods by that bush4 ,you can keep the   

kegs4  ,the big man's eyes shifted to   
,casey ,ryan's expressionless profile   
and dwelt there curiously4  ,seems like 
,i know you1 he said abruptly4  ,ain't  
you the guy that was brought in with    
that ,black ,butte bunch of moonshiners 
and got off on account of a nice wife   
and an ,l4 ,a4 alibi8  ,sure you are6   
,casey ,ryan4 ,i got yuh placed now4    
,he threw back his head and laughed4    
,casey might have been an ,indian making
 a society call for all the sign of life
 he gave4  ,young ,kenner1 having       
deposited his camp outfit in a heap on  
the ground1 began lifting out tall1     
round bottles1 four at a time and       
ricking them neatly beside the large    
sagebush indicated by the officer4      
,standing upon the running board at     
,casey's shoulder where he had a clear  
view1 the big man watched the unloading 
and at the same time kept an eye on     
,casey4  ,it was perfectly evident that 
for all his easy good nature1 he was not
 a man who could be talked out of his   

purpose4  ,all right1 pile in your      
blankets1 the big man ordered at last1  
and young ,kenner unemotionally began to
 reload the camp outfit4 ,the big man's 
attention shifted to ,casey again4  ,he 
looked at him curiously and grinned4    
,say1 that's a good one you pulled6     
,you had all the county officials       
bluffed into thinking you were the      
victim of that ,black ,butte bunch1     
instead of being in cahoots4  ,that     
alibi of yours was a bird4 ,does        
,kenner1 here1 know you hit the hootch  
pretty strong at times8 ,bootlegging's  
bad business for a man that laps it up  
the way you do4 ,where's that piece of  
change1 ,kenner8  ,aw1 can't yuh find   
some way to leave me jack enough to buy 
gas and grub8  ,young ,kenner asked     
sullenly1 reaching into his pocket4 ,the
 big man shook his head4  ,i'm doing a  
lot for you boys1 when ,i let yuh get   
past me with the ,lizzie1 to say nothing
 of half your load4  ,i'd ought to      
trundle yuh back to ,san ,berdoo2 you   

both know that as well as ,i do4  ,i'm  
too soft-hearted for this job1 anyway4  
,hand over the roll4  ,young ,kenner    
swore and extended his arm behind       
,casey4  ,that leaves me six bits1 he   
growled1 as the big man dropped         
something into his coat pocket4  ,you   
might give me back ten1 anyway4         
,couldn't possibly4  ,i have to have    
something to square myself with if this 
leaks out4  ,just back up1 till you can 
get around my car4 ,turn to the left    
where the sand ain't so deep and you    
ain't likely to run over the booze4     
,with the big man still standing at his 
shoulder on the running board1 ,casey   
,ryan did what he had rashly declared he
 never would do2 he backed the ,ford1   
turned it to the left as he had been    
commanded to do1 and drove around the   
other car4  ,it was bitter work for     
,casey2 but even he recognized the fact 
that the settin' was not good that      
evening4  ,back in the road again1 he   
stopped when he was told to stop1 and   

waited1 with a surface calm altogether  
strange to ,casey1 while the officer    
stepped off and gave a bit of parting   
advice4  ,better keep right on going1   
boys4 ,i'd hate to see yuh get in       
trouble1 so you'd better take this old  
road up ahead here4 ,that'll bring yuh  
out at ,dagget and you'll miss ,barstow 
altogether4  ,i just came from there2   
there's a hard gang hanging around on   
the lookout for anything they can pick  
up4  ,don't get caught again4  ,on your 
way6  ,casey drove for half a mile still
 staring straight before him4 ,then     
young ,kenner laughed shortly4  ,that's 
,smilin' ,lou1 he said4  ,he's a mean   
boy to monkey with4 ,talk about road    
hawgs--he's one yuh can't outset6       
,,chapter ,,eleven  ,so that's the kind 
uh game yuh asked me to set in on6      
,casey broke another long silence4  ,he 
had felt in his bones that young ,kenner
 was watching him secretly1 waiting for 
him to take his stand for or against the
 proposition4  ,i'd like to know who    

passed the word around amongst outlaws  
that ,casey ,ryan is the only original  
easy mark left runnin' wild1 an' that he
 can be caught an' made a goat of any   
time it's handy6 ,look at the crowd of  
folks bunched on that crossing this     
afternoon6 ,why didn't yuh pick some one
 else for the goat8  ,outa all them     
hundreds uh people1 why'n hell did yuh  
have to go an' pick on ,casey ,ryan8    
,ain't he had trouble enough tryin' to  
keep outa trouble8  ,naw6  ,casey       
,ryan's went an' blowed hisself to show 
tickets1 an' he's headed home1 peaceful 
an' on time1 so's he can shave an' put  
on a clean collar an' slick up to please
 his wife an' take 'er to the show6     
,nothin' agin the law in that6  ,not a  
damn' thing yuh can haul 'im to jail    
fer6  ,so ,,you had to come along1      
loaded to the guards with hootch--stall 
your ,ford on the car track right under 
m' nose1 an' tell ,casey ,ryan to git   
in6  ,couldn't leave 'im to go home     
peaceful to 'is wife--naw6  ,you had t' 

haul 'im away out here an' git 'im in   
wrong with a cop agin6  ,that's a fine  
game you're playin'6  ,that's a ,,darned
 fine game6  ,sure1 it is6  ,it's better
 than the game you've been playing1     
young ,kenner stated calmly4  ,take your
 own story1 for instance4 ,you've been  
dubbin' along1 tryin' t' play the way   
the law tells you to4  ,an' the saps has
 been flockin' to yuh like a bunch uh   
hornets--every bird tryin' t' sink his  
stinger in first4 ,ain't that right8    
,keepin' the law has laid yuh in jail   
twice in the last month1 by your own    
tell4  ,why1 a clown like you1 that's   
aimin' t' keep the law an' live honest1 
is the easiest mark in the world4       
,them's the guys that do the most       
harm--they make graftin' so darned easy6
 ,them's the guys the saps lay for and  
dust off regular in the shape of fines  
an' taxes an' the like uh that4  ,oncet 
in awhile they'll snatch yuh fer        
somethin' yuh never done at all an' lay 
yuh away fer a day or two1 just t' keep 

yuh scared and easy t' handle next time4
  ,now1 yuh take me1 fer instance4  ,i  
play agin' the law--an' ,i'm cleanin' up
 right along1 and have yet to take my   
morning sunlight in streaks4  ,i know as
 much about the inside of a jail as ,i  
know about the ,white ,house--an' no    
more4  ,i've hauled hootch all over the 
country1 an' ,i never yet was dusted off
 so hard by the law that ,i didn't come 
through with a roll uh jack they'd      
overlooked4  ,take this highjackin'     
to-night1 for instance4  ,look what     
,smilin' ,lou took off'n me6  ,and yet1 
,kenner turned and grinned impudently at
 ,casey1 don't never think ,i didn't    
come out a long jump ahead6 ,i carry    
nothin' cheap2 nothin' but good whisky  
an' brandy that the liquor houses failed
 to declare when the world went dry4    
,then there's real1 honest-to-gosh      
,european stuff run in from ,mexico2 now
 you're in1 ,casey1 ,i'll tell yuh the  
snap4  ,when ,i said easy money1 ,i was 
in my right mind4  ,you can count on    

highjackers leavin' yuh half your load2 
mebby a little more1 if yuh set purty4  
,they don't aim t' force yuh out uh the 
business4  ,they grab what the          
traffic'll bear1 an' let yuh go on an   
make a profit so you'll stay4  ,now     
there's a card you can slip up your     
sleeve for this game4 ,yuh load in the  
best stuff first--see8  ,anything real  
special you wanta put in kegs with      
double sides an' ends which you fill    
with moonshine4  ,yuh never can         
tell--they might wanta sample it4       
,smilin' ,lou did once--an' you notice  
to-night he left the kegs be4 ,so they  
get a good grade of whisky from the     
liquor houses4 ,and they pass up the    
best1 imported stuff that can be got    
to-day4 ,we'll have regular customers   
for that2 and you can gamble they'll pay
 the price6 ,he laughed at some secret  
joke which he straightway shared with   
,casey4  ,you noticed ,i got my gas-tank
 behind--a twenty-gallon tank at that4  
,well1 what if ,i tell yuh that right   

under this front seat there's a false   
bottom to the tool-box and under        
that--well1 suppose you're settin' on   
forty pints uh ,french champagne8       
,more'n all that1 this cushion we're    
settin' on has got a concealed pocket   
down both sides--for hop4  ,so yuh see1 
,casey1 a man can make an honest livin' 
at this game1 even if he's highjacked   
every trip4  ,now you're in1 ,i can show
 yuh all kinds uh tricks4  ,the muscles1
 along ,casey's jaw had hardened until  
they looked bunched4 ,his eyes1 fixed   
upon the winding trail in front of him1 
were a pale1 unwinking glitter4  ,who   
says ,i'm in8  ,yuh ain't heard ,casey  
,ryan say it yet1 have yuh8 ,yuh better 
wait till ,casey says he's in b'fore yuh
 bank on 'im too strong4 ,casey may be  
an easy mark--he may be the officious   
goat pro tem of every darn' bootlegger  
an' moonshiner an' every darn' cop that 
crosses his trail2 but you can ask      
anybody if ,casey ,ryan don't do 'is own
 decidin'6  ,before you go any further1 

young feller1 ,i'll tell yuh just how   
fur ,casey's in your game--an' that's as
 fur as ,barstow4  ,when ,casey says    
he'll do a thing he comes purty near    
doin' it4  ,i ain't playin' no bootleg  
game1 young feller2 ,white ,mule an' me 
ain't an' never was trail pardners4     
,make me choose between bootleggers an' 
cops1 an' ,i'd have to flip a dollar on 
it4  ,only fer ,bill ,masters bein' your
 friend1 ,i dunno but what ,i'd take yuh
 right back with me t' ,l4 ,a4 an' let  
yuh sleep in a jail oncet--seein' you've
 never had the pleasure6  ,the young man
 laughed imperturbably4 ,flip that      
dollar for me1 ,casey1 to see whether ,i
 shoot yuh now an' dump yuh out in the  
brush somewheres1 or make yuh play the  
hootch game an' like it4 ,why1 you      
didn't think for one minute1 did yuh1   
that ,i was takin' any chance with you8 
,not a chance in the world6  ,go squeal 
to the law--an' what would it get yuh8  
,you was drivin' this car yourself when 
,smilin' ,lou stopped us1 recollect4    

,he had yuh placed as one of that ,black
 ,butte gang quick as he lamped yuh4    
,yuh think ,smilin' ,lou is goin' to    
take a chance8 ,you was caught with the 
goods t'night1 old-timer1 an' it's the  
second time inside a month4  ,it'd be   
the third time you an' the law has      
tangled4 ,why1 you set there yourself   
an' told me how you was practically run 
outa ,l4 ,a41 right this week4  ,you set
 still a minute and figure out about how
 many years they'd give yuh6  ,how come 
,smilin' ,lou overlooked cleanin' yuh of
 your roll when he took mine1 do yuh    
think8  ,he was treatin' yuh white1 an' 
givin' yuh a chance to come back strong 
next time--that's why4 ,they got so much
 on yuh now after to-night1 that he     
knows you got just one chance to        
sidestep a stretch in the pen4  ,that's 
to play the game with pertection4       
,smilin' ,lou never to my knowledge     
throwed down a guy that come through on 
demand4  ,smilin' ,lou stood there an'  
sized yuh up about the same as ,i did1  

somethin' like this3 ',here ,is ,casey  
,ryan--a clown that's safe anywhere in  
the desert ,states4  ,he got honest     
prospector wrote all over 'im4 ,why1 if 
you boarded a street car the conductor  
would be guessin'1 wild-eyed1 how much  
gold dust it takes to make a nickel1    
expectin' you to haul out your poke an' 
look around fer the gold scales4  ,why1 
you could git by where a town guy       
couldn't4 ,you've got a rep a mile long 
as a fightin'1 squareshootin' ,irishman 
that's a drivin' fool an' knows the     
desert like he knows ham-an'-eggs4 ,tie 
on some picks an' shovels an' put you   
behind the wheel1 and only the guys that
 are in the know would ever get wise in 
a thousand years4  ,why1 look what he   
said about you havin' 'em all bluffed in
 ,san ,berdoo6 ,grabbed you with a bunch
 uh moonshiners1 and you fightin' the   
saps harder'n any of 'em--and then1 by  
heck1 you slips the noose an' leaves 'em
 thinkin' you're honest but unlucky4    
,so you 'n' me is pardners till ,i say  

when4  ,we'll clean up some real jack   
together4  ,minin' ain't in it1 no more1
 with hootch runnin'--if yuh play it    
right4  ,the good old ,white ,mule goes 
under the wire1 old-timer1 an' takes the
 money4  ,burros is extinct4  ,burros   
ain't any extincter than what you'll be 
when ,i git through with yuh1 gritted   
,casey savagely1 shutting off the gas4  
,bill ,masters can like it or not--,i'm 
goin' to lick the livin' tar outa you   
here an' now4 ,when ,i'm through with   
yuh1 if you're able to wiggle the wheel1
 yuh can take your load uh hootch an' go
 tahell6 ,i'll hoof it down here to the 
next station on the railroad an' ketch a
 ride back to ,l4 ,a4  ,kenner laughed4 
,an' what would ,i be doin'1 you poor   
nut8  ,set here meek till yuh tell me to
 git out an' take a lickin'8  ,yuh feel 
that gun proddin' yuh in the ribs1 don't
 yuh8  ,i can't help wonderin' how your 
wife would feel towards you if you was  
found with a hole drilled through your  
middle1 an' a carload uh booze4 ,that'd 

jar the faith of the most believin'     
woman on earth4  ,you take this cut-off 
road up here an' drive till ,i tell yuh 
t' stop4 ,as you may know1 a man can't  
be chickenhearted and peddle hootch--an'
 ,i'm called an expert4  ,so you think  
that over1 ,casey--an' drive purty1 see8
  ,casey drove as purty as was possible 
with a six-shooter pressed irritatingly 
against his lowest floating rib2 but he 
did not dwell upon the spectacle of     
himself found dead with a carload of    
booze4 ,he wished to heaven he hadn't   
let the ,little ,woman talk him out of  
packing a gun1 and waited for his       
chance4  ,young ,kenner was thoughtful1 
brooding through the hours of darkness  
with his head slightly bent and his     
eyes1 so far as ,casey could determine1 
fixed steadily on the uneven trail where
 the headlights revealed every rut1     
every stone1 every chuck-hole4 ,but     
,casey was not deceived by that         
quiescence4  ,the revolver barrel never 
once ceased its pressure against his    

side1 and he knew that young ,kenner    
never for an instant forgot that he was 
riding with ,casey ,ryan at the wheel1  
waiting for a chance to kill him4  ,by  
daylight1 such was ,casey's driving1    
they were well down the highway which   
leads to ,needles and on through        
,arizona4 ,casey was just thinking that 
they would soon run out of gas1 and that
 he would then have a fighting chance1  
when he was startled almost into        
believing that he had spoken his plan4  
,i told you there's a twenty-gallon tank
 on this car2 well1 it holds            
twenty-five4  ,i've got a special       
carburetor that gives an actual mileage 
of twenty-two miles to the gallon on    
ordinary desert roads4 ,i filled 'er    
till she run over at ,victorville--and  
,i notice you're easy on the gas with   
your drivin'4  ,figure it yourself1     
,casey1 and don't be countin' on a stop 
till ,i'm ready t' stop4  ,casey        
grunted1 more crestfallen than he would 
ever admit4 ,but he hadn't given up2 the

 give-up quality had been completely    
forgotten when ,casey's personality was 
being put together4  ,he drove on1      
around the rubbly base of a blackened   
volcano long since cold and bleak1 and  
bored his way through the sandy stretch 
that leads through ,patmos4  ,patmos was
 a place of unhappy memories1 but he    
drove through the little hamlet so fast 
that he scarcely thought of his         
unpleasant sojourn there the summer     
before4  ,young ,kenner had fallen      
silent again and they drove the sixty   
miles or so to ,goffs with not a word   
spoken between them4  ,casey spent most 
of that time in mentally cursing the    
,ford for its efficiency4  ,he had      
prayed for blowouts1 a fouled timer1 for
 something or anything or everything to 
happen that could possibly befall a     
,ford4 ,he couldn't even make the       
radiator boil4  ,worst and most         
persistent of his discomforts was the   
hard pressure of that six-shooter       
against his side4  ,casey was positive  

that the imprint of it would be worn as 
a permanent brand upon his person for   
the rest of his life4  ,young ,kenner's 
voice speaking to him came so abruptly  
that ,casey jumped4  ,i've been thinking
 over your case1 ,kenner said           
cheerfully4 ,stop right here while we   
talk it over4  ,casey stopped right     
there4  ,i've changed my mind about     
havin' you for a pardner1 young ,kenner 
went on4  ,you'd be a valuable man all  
right2 but when a harp like you gets    
stubborn-bitter1 my hunch tells me to   
break away clean4 ,you're a mick--an'   
micks is all alike when they git a      
grudge4 ,i can't be bothered keepin' yuh
 under my eye all the time1 and the way 
,i've felt yuh oozin' venom all this    
while shows me ,i'd have to4 ,an'       
bumpin' yuh off would be neither        
pleasant ner safe4  ,now1 the way ,i've 
doped this out1  ,i'm goin' to sell yuh 
the outfit fer just what jack yuh got in
 your clothes4  ,fork it over1 an' ,i'll
 give yuh the layout just as she stands4

  ,yuh better wait till ,casey says he  
wants t' buy6  ,swallowing resentment   
all night had made his voice husky2 and 
it was bitter indeed to sit still and   
hear himself called a harp and a mick4  
,why wait8  ,hand over the roll1 and    
that closes the deal4 ,i didn't ask yuh 
would yuh buy--,i'm givin' yuh somethin'
 fer your money1 is all4  ,i could take 
it off yuh after yuh quit kickin' and   
drive your remains in to this little    
burg1 with a tale of how ,i'd caught a  
bootlegger that resisted arrest4  ,so   
fork over the jack1 old-timer4 ,i want  
to catch that train over there that's   
about ready to pull out4 ,he prodded    
sharply with the gun1 and ,casey heard a
 click which needed no explanation4     
,casey fumbled for a minute inside his  
vest and glumly forked over4 ,young     
,kenner inspected the folded bank notes1
 smiled and slipped the flat bundle     
inside his shirt4  ,you're stronger on  
the bank roll than what yuh let on1 he  
remarked contentedly4  ,i don't stand to

 lose so much1 after all4 ,sixteen      
hundred1 ,i make it4  ,what's in your   
pants pockets8  ,casey1 still balefully 
silent1 emptied first one pocket and    
then the other into ,kenner's cupped    
palm4  ,with heavy sarcasm he felt in   
his watch pocket and produced a nickel  
slipped there after paying street-car   
fare4  ,he held it out to young ,kenner 
between his finger and thumb1 still     
gazing straight before him4  ,young     
,kenner took it and grinned4  ,oh1      
well--you're rich6  ,drive on now1 and  
when you get about even with that       
caboose1 slow to twelve miles whilst ,i 
hop off2 and then hit 'er up again an'  
keep 'er goin'4 ,if yuh don't1 ,i'll    
grab yuh fer a bootlegger1 sure4 ,and   
,i'd have the hull train crew to help me
 wrassle yuh down4 ,they'd be willin' to
 sample the evidence1 ,i guess1 an' be  
witnesses against yuh4  ,an' bear in    
mind1 ,casey1 that yuh got a darned good
 ,ford and all its valuable contents for
 sixteen hundred and some odd bucks4    

,if you meet up with the law1 you can   
treat 'em white an' still break even on 
the deal yuh just consummated with me4  
,like hell ,i consummated the deal6     
,casey was goaded into muttering4  ,he  
drove abreast of the caboose1 and at a  
final prod in the ribs ,casey slowed    
down4  ,young ,kenner dropped off the   
running board1 alighted running with his
 body slanted backwards and his lips    
smiling friendly-wise4  ,don't take any 
bad money--an' don't let 'em catch yuh6 
he cried mockingly1 as he headed for the
 caboose4  ,at a crossing1 two miles    
farther on1 ,casey came larruping out of
 the sand hills and was forced to wait  
while the freight train went rattling   
past1 headed east on a downhill grade4  
,young ,kenner1 up in the cupola1 leaned
 far out and waved his hat as the       
caboose flicked by4    ,,chapter        
,,twelve  ,the highway north from the   
,santa ,fe ,railroad just west of       
,needles climbs an imperceptible grade  
across barren land to where the mesa    

changes and becomes potentially fertile4
  ,up this road1 going north1 a cloud of
 yellow dust rolled swiftly4  ,see at   
close range1 the nose of a dingy ,ford  
protruded slightly in front of the      
enveloping cloud--and behind it ,casey  
,ryan1 hard-eyed and with his jaw set to
 the fighting mood1 gripped the wheel   
and drove as if he had a grudge against 
the road4  ,at the first signpost ,casey
 canted a malevolent eye upward and went
 lurching by at top speed4  ,the car    
bulked black for a moment1 dimmed1 and  
merged into the fleeing cloud that      
presently seemed no more than a         
dust-devil whirling across the mesa4    
,at the second signpost ,casey slowed1  
his eyes dwelling speculatively upon the
 legend3  ,,juniper ,,wells #c ,m  ,the 
arrow pointed to the right where a      
narrow1 little-used trail angled        
crookedly away through the greasewood4  
,casey gave a deciding twist to the     
steering wheel and turned into the      
trail4  ,juniper ,wells is not nearly so

 nice a place as it sounds4  ,but it is 
the first water north of the ,santa ,fe1
 and now and then a wayfarer of the     
desert leaves the main highway and turns
 that way1 driven by necessity4  ,it is 
a secluded spot1 too unattractive to    
tempt people to linger2 because of its  
very seclusion it therefore tempted     
,casey ,ryan4  ,when a man has driven a 
,ford fifteen hours without once leaving
 the wheel or taking a drink of water or
 a mouthful of food1 however great his  
trouble or his haste1 his first thought 
will be of water1 food and rest4  ,even 
,casey's deadly rage at the diabolical  
trick played upon him could not hold his
 thoughts from dwelling upon bacon and  
coffee and a good sleep afterwards4     
,wind and rain and more wind1 buffeting 
that trail since the last car had       
passed1 made heavy going4  ,the ,ford   
labored up small hills and across       
gullies1 dipping downward at last to    
,juniper ,wells2 there ,casey stopped   
close beside the blackened embers left  

by some forgotten traveler of the wild4 
,he slid stiffly from behind the wheel  
to the vacant seat beside him1 and      
climbed out like the old man he had last
 night determined never to become4 ,he  
walked away a few paces1 turned and     
stood glaring back at the car as if     
familiarizing himself with an object    
little known and hated much4  ,fate1 he 
felt1 had played a shabby trick upon an 
honest man4 ,here he stood1 a criminal  
in the eyes of the law1 a liar in the   
eyes of the missus4  ,an honest man and 
a truthful1 here he was--he1 ,casey     
,ryan--actually afraid to face his      
fellow men4  ,,he wasn't no friend of   
,bill ,masters2 the divil himself       
wouldn'ta owned him fer a friend6       
snarled ,casey1 thinking of ,kenner4    
,me--,,casey ,,ryan6--with a load uh    
booze wished onto me--and a car that may
 have been stolen fer all ,i know--an'  
not a darn' nickel to my name6 ,they can
 make a goat uh ,casey ,ryan once1 but  
watch clost when they try it the second 

time6  ,casey ,,may be gittin' old2 he  
might possibly have softenin' of the    
brain2 but he'll git the skunk that done
 this1 or you'll find his carcass layin'
 alongside the trail bleachin' like a   
blowed-out tire6  ,i'll trail 'im till  
my tongue hangs down to my knees6 ,i'll 
git 'im an' ,i'll drown 'im face down in
 a bucket of his own booze6  ,whipped by
 emotion1 his voice rose stridently     
until it cracked just under a shout4    
,that sounds pretty businesslike1 old   
man1 a strange voice spoke whimsically  
behind ,casey4  ,who's all this you're  
going to trail till your tongue hangs   
down to your knees8  ,going to need any 
help8  ,casey whirled belligerently upon
 the man who had walked quietly up      
behind him4  ,where the hell did ,,you  
come from8 he countered roughly4  ,does 
it matter8  ,i'm here1 the other parried
 blandly4  ,but by the way6  ,if you've 
got the makings of a meal in your       
car--and you look too old a hand in the 
desert to be without grub--,i won't     

refuse to have a snack with you4  ,i    
hate to invite myself to breakfast1 but 
it's that or go hungry--and an empty    
belly won't stand on ceremony4  ,the    
hard-bitten features of ,casey ,ryan1   
tanned as they were by wind and sun to a
 fair imitation of leather1 were never  
meant to portray mixed emotions4  ,his  
face1 therefore1 remained impassive     
except for a queer1 cornered look in his
 eyes4  ,with a sick feeling at the pit 
of his stomach he wondered just how much
 of his impassioned soliloquy the man   
had overheard2 who and what this man    
was1 and how he had managed to approach 
within six feet of ,casey without being 
overheard4  ,with a sicker feeling1 he  
wondered if there were any grub in the  
car2 and if so1 how he could get at it  
without revealing his contraband load to
 this stranger4  ,but ,casey ,ryan was  
nothing if not game4  ,he reached for   
his trusty plug of tobacco and pried off
 a corner with his teeth4  ,he lifted   
his left hand mechanically to the back  

of his head and pushed his black felt   
hat forward so that it rested over his  
right eyebrow at a devil-may-care angle4
  ,these preparations made involuntarily
 and unconsciously1 ,casey ,ryan was    
himself again4  ,all right--if you're   
willin' to rustle the wood an' start a  
fire1 ,i'll see if ,i can dig up        
somethin'4  ,he cocked an eye up at the 
sun4 ,i et my breakfast long enough ago 
so ,i guess it's settled4 ,i reckon     
mebby ,i c'd take on some bacon an'     
coffee myself4  ,feller ,i had along    
with me ,i ditched1 back here at the    
railroad4  ,he done the packin' up--an' 
,i'd hate to swear to what he put in an'
 what he left out4  ,onery cuss--,i     
wouldn't put nothin' past him4  ,but    
mebby we can make out a meal4  ,the     
stranger seemed perfectly satisfied with
 this arrangement and studied preamble4 
,he started off to gather dead branches 
of greasewood2 and ,casey1 having       
prepared the way for possible           
disappointment1 turned toward the car4  

,fear and ,casey ,ryan have ever been   
strangers2 yet he was conscious of a    
distinct1 prickly chill down his spine4 
,the glance he cast over his shoulder at
 the stranger betrayed uneasiness1 best 
he could do4  ,he turned over the roll  
of bedding and cautiously began a       
superficial search which he hoped would 
reveal grub in plenty--without revealing
 anything else4  ,he wished now that he 
had taken a look over his shoulder when 
young ,kenner was unloading the car at  
,smiling ,lou's command4  ,he would be  
better prepared now for possible        
emergencies4  ,he remembered1 with a bit
 of comfort1 that the bootlegger had    
piled a good deal of stuff upon the     
ground before ,casey first heard the    
clink of bottles4  ,a grunt of relief   
signaled his location of a box          
containing grub4 ,a moment later he     
lifted out a gunny sack bulging unevenly
 with cooking utensils4  ,he fished a   
little deeper1 turned back a folded tarp
 and laid naked to his eyes the top of a

 whisky keg4 ,with a grunt of           
consternation he hastily replaced the   
tarp1 his heart flopping in his chest   
like a fresh-landed fish4  ,the stranger
 was kneeling beside a faintly crackling
 little pile of twigs1 his face turned  
inquiringly toward ,casey4  ,casey1     
glancing guiltily over his shoulder1    
felt the chill hand of discovery        
reaching for his very soul4  ,it was as 
if a dead man were hidden away beneath  
that tarp4  ,it seemed to him that the  
eyes of the stranger were sharp1        
suspicious eyes1 and that they dwelt    
upon him altogether too attentively for 
a perfectly justifiable interest even in
 the box of grub4  ,black coffee1 drunk 
hot and strong1 gave the world a        
brighter aspect4 ,casey decided that the
 situation was not so desperate1 after  
all4 ,easy enough to bluff it           
out--easiest thing in the world6  ,he   
would just go along as if there wasn't a
 thing on his mind heavier than his     
thinning1 sandy hair4  ,no man living   

had any right or business snooping      
around in his car1 unless he carried a  
badge of an officer of the law4  ,even  
with the badge1 ,casey told himself     
sternly1 a man would have to show a     
warrant before he could touch a finger  
to his outfit4  ,over his third cup of  
coffee ,casey eyed the stranger         
guardedly4 ,he did not look like an     
officer4  ,he was not big and burly1    
with arrogant eyes and the hint of      
leashed authority in his tone4 ,instead1
 he was of medium height1 owned a pair  
of shrewd gray eyes and an easy drawl1  
and was dressed in the half military    
style so popular with mining men1       
surveyors and others who can afford to  
choose what garb they will adopt for    
outdoor living4  ,he had shown a perfect
 familiarity with cooking over a        
campfire1 and had fried the bacon in a  
manner which even ,casey could not      
criticize4 ,before the coffee was boiled
 he had told ,casey that his name was   
,mack ,nolan4  ,immediately afterward he

 had grinned and added the superfluous  
information that he was ,irish and      
didn't care who knew it4  ,well1 ,i'm   
,irish1 meself1 ,casey returned         
approvingly and with more than his usual
 brogue4  ,you can ask anybody if ,casey
 ,ryan has ever showed shame fer the    
blood that's in' 'im4  ',tis the ,irish 
that never backs up from a rough trail  
or a fight4  ,he poured a fourth cup of 
coffee into a chipped enamel cup and    
took his courage in his two hands4 ,mack
 ,nolan1 he assured himself             
optimistically1 couldn't possibly know  
what lay hidden under the camp outfit in
 the ,ford4  ,until he did know1 he was 
harmless as anybody1 so long as ,casey  
kept an eye on him4    ,,chapter        
,,thirteen  ,during the companionable   
smoke that followed breakfast1 ,casey   
learned that ,mack ,nolan had spent some
 time in ,nevada1 ambling through the   
hills1 examining the geologic formation 
of the country with a view to possible  
future prospecting in districts yet     

undeveloped4  ,the mineral possibilities
 of ,nevada haven't been more than      
scratched1 ,mack ,nolan observed1 lying 
back with one arm thrown up under his   
head as a makeshift pillow and the other
 hand negligently attending to the      
cigarette he was smoking4  ,his gray    
army hat was tilted over his eyes1      
shielding them from the sun while they  
dwelt rather studiously upon the face of
 ,casey ,ryan4  ,every spring ,i like to
 get out and poke around through these  
hills where folks as a rule don't go4   
,never did much prospecting--as such4   
,don't take kindly enough to a pick and 
shovel for that4  ,what ,i like best is 
general field work4  ,if ,i run across  
something rich1 time enough then to     
locate a claim or two and hire a couple 
of strong backs to do the digging4      
,i've been out now for about three      
weeks2 and night before last1 just as ,i
 stopped to make camp and before ,i'd   
started to unpack1 my two mules got     
scared at a rattler and quit the        

country4  ,left me flat1 without a thing
 but my clothes and six-shooter1 and    
what ,i had in my pockets4  ,he lifted  
the cigarette from between his          
lips--thin1 they were1 and curved and   
rather pitiless1 one could guess1 if the
 man were sufficiently roused4  ,i      
wasted all yesterday trying to trail    
'em4  ,but you can't do much tracking in
 these rocks back here toward the river4
  ,i was hitting for the highway to     
catch a ride if ,i could1 when ,i saw   
you topping this last ridge over here4  
,don't blame me much for bumming a      
breakfast1 do you8  ,and he added1 with 
a sigh of deep physical content1 ,it    
sure-lee was some feed6  ,his lids      
drooped lower as if sleep were          
overtaking him in spite of himself4     
,i'd ask yuh if you'd seen anything of  
those mules--only ,i don't give a damn  
now4  ,i wish this was night instead of 
noon2 ,i could sleep the clock around   
after that bacon and bannock of yours4  
,haven't a care in the world1 he        

murmured drowsily4 ,happy as a toad in  
the sun1 first warm day of spring4  ,how
 soon you going to crank up8  ,casey    
stared at him unwinkingly through       
narrowed lids4  ,he pushed his hat      
forward with a sharp tilt over his      
eyebrow--which meant always that ,casey 
,ryan had just ,o4 ,k4'd an idea--and   
reached for his chewing tobacco4  ,go   
ahead an' take a nap if yuh want to1 he 
urged4  ,i got some tinkerin' to do on  
the ,ford1 an' ,i was aimin' to lay over
 here an' do it4  ,i'm kinda lookin'    
around1 myself1 for a likely prospect2  
,i got all the time there is4  ,i guess 
,i'll back the car down the draw a piece
 where she'll set level1 an' clean up   
'er dingbats whilst you take a sleep4   
,casey left the breakfast things where  
they were1 as a silent reassurance to   
,mack ,nolan that the car would not go  
off without him4 ,it was a fine1        
psychological detail of which ,casey was
 secretly rather proud4  ,a box of grub1
 a smoked coffee pot and dirty breakfast

 dishes left beside a dead campfire     
establishes evidence1 admissible before 
any jury1 that the owner means to       
return4  ,casey went over and cranked   
the ,ford1 grimly determined to make the
 coffee pot lie for him if necessary4   
,he backed the car down the draw a good 
seventy-five yards1 to where a wrinkle  
in the bank hid him from the breakfast  
camp4  ,he stopped there and left the   
engine running while he straddled out   
over the side and went forward to the   
dip of the front fender to see if the   
,ford were still visible to ,mack       
,nolan4  ,he was glad to find that by   
crouching and sighting across the fender
 he could just see the campfire and the 
top of ,nolan's hat beyond it4  ,the man
 need only lift his head off his arm to 
see that the ,ford was standing just    
around the turn of the draw4  ,the      
corner was never yet so tight that      
,casey ,ryan couldn't find a crack      
somewhere to crawl through1 he told     
himself vaingloriously4 ,an' ,i hope to 

thunder the feller sleeps long an'      
sleeps solid6  ,for fifteen minutes the 
mind of ,casey ,ryan was at ease4  ,he  
had found a shovel in the car1 placed   
conveniently at the side where it could 
be used for just such an emergency as   
this4  ,for fifteen minutes he had been 
using that shovel in a shelving bank of 
loose gravel just under an outcropping  
of rhyolite a rod or so behind the car  
and well out of sight of ,nolan4  ,he   
was beginning to consider his excavation
 almost deep enough to bury two         
ten-gallon kegs and forty bottles of    
whisky1 when the shadow of a head and   
shoulders fell across the hole4  ,casey 
did not lift the dirt and rocks he had  
on his shovel4  ,he froze to a tense    
quiet1 goggling at the shadow4  ,what   
are yuh doing1 ,casey8  ,trying to      
outdig a badger8 ,mack ,nolan's chuckle 
was friendliness itself4  ,casey's head 
snapped around so that he could cock an 
eye up at ,nolan4 ,he grinned           
mechanically4  ,naw4  ,picked up a      

rich-lookin' piece uh float4 ,thought   
,i'd just see if it didn't mebby come   
from this ledge4  ,mack ,nolan stepped  
forward interestedly and looked at the  
ledge4  ,where's the piece you found8 he
 very naturally inquired4  ,the         
formation just here wouldn't lead me to 
expect gold-bearing rock2 but of course1
 anything is possible with gold4  ,let's
 have a look at the specimen4  ,casey   
had once tried to bluff a stranger with 
two deuces and a pair of fives1 and two 
full stacks of blue chips pushed to the 
center to back the bluff4  ,the stranger
 had called him1 with three queens and a
 pair of jacks4  ,casey felt like that  
now4  ,he had laughed over his loss     
then1 and he grinned now and reached    
carelessly to the bank beside him as if 
he fully expected to lay his hand on the
 specimen of gold-bearing rock4  ,he    
went so far as to utter a surprised oath
 when he failed to find it4  ,he felt in
 his pockets4 ,he went forward and      
scanned the top of the ledge almost     

convincingly4 ,he turned and stood      
a-straddle1 his hands on his hips1 and  
gazed on the pile of dirt he had thrown 
out of the hole4  ,last1 he pushed his  
hat back so that with the next movement 
he could push it forward again over his 
eyebrow4  ,now if that there lump uh    
high-grade ain't went an' slid down the 
bank an' got covered up with the muck6  
he exclaimed disgustedly4 ,i'm a son of 
a gun if ,fate ain't playin' agin'      
,casey ,ryan with a flock uh aces under 
its vest6  ,mack ,nolan laughed1 and    
,casey slanted a look his way4  ,thought
 ,i left you takin1 a nap1 he said      
brazenly4  ,what's the matter8 ,didn't  
your breakfast set good8  ,mack ,nolan  
laughed again4  ,it was evident that he 
found ,casey ,ryan very amusing4  ,the  
breakfast was fine1 he replied easily4  
,a couple of lizards got to playing tag 
over me4  ,that woke me up1 and the sun 
was so hot ,i just thought ,i'd come    
down and crawl into the car and go to   
sleep there4  ,go ahead with your       

prospecting1 ,casey--,i won't bother    
you4  ,casey went on with his digging1  
but his heart was not in it4 ,with every
 laggard shovelful of dirt1 he glanced  
over his shoulder apprehensively1       
watching ,mack ,nolan crawl into the    
back of the car and settle himself1 with
 an audible sigh of satisfaction1 on top
 of the load4  ,he had one wild1 wicked 
impulse to lengthen the hole and make it
 serve as a grave for more than bootleg 
whisky2 but it was an impulse born of   
desperation1 and it died almost before  
it had lived4    ,,chapter ,,fourteen   
,casey left his digging and returned to 
the ,ford1 still determined to carry on 
the bluff and pretend that much         
tinkering was necessary before he could 
travel further4  ,with a great show of  
industry he rummaged for pliers and     
wrenches1 removed the hood from the     
motor and squinted down at the little   
engine4  ,by that time ,mack ,nolan was 
snoring softly in deep slumber4 ,casey  
listened suspiciously1 knowing too well 

how misleading a snore could be4  ,but  
his own eyelids were growing exceeding  
heavy1 and the soporific sound acted    
hypnotically upon his sleep-hungry      
brain4 ,he caught himself yawning1 and  
suddenly threw down the wrench4  ,aw1   
hell6 he muttered disgustedly1 and went 
and crawled under the back of the car   
where it was shady4  ,the sun was nearly
 down when ,casey awoke and crawled out4
  ,mack ,nolan was still curled         
comfortably in the car1 his back against
 the bed roll4 ,he opened his eyes and  
yawned when ,casey leaned and looked in 
upon him4  ,by ,jove1 that was a fine   
sleep ,i had1 he announced cheerfully1  
lifting himself up and dangling his legs
 outside the car4 ,strike anything yet8 
,naw4  ,casey's grunt was eloquent of   
the mood he was in4  ,get the car fixed 
all right8  ,mack ,nolan's cheerfulness 
seemed nothing less than diabolical to  
,casey4  ,naw4 ,then ,casey added       
grimly1 ,i'm stuck4  ,i dunno what ails 
the damned thing4  ,have to send to     

,vegas fer new parts1 ,i guess4 ,it's   
only three miles out here to the road4  
,mebby you better hike over to the      
highway an' ketch a ride with somebody4 
,i might send in for a timer an' some   
things1 too4  ,no use waitin' fer me1   
,nolan--can't tell how long ,i'll be    
held up here4  ,mack ,nolan climbed out 
of the car4  ,casey's spirits rose      
instantly4 ,nolan came forward and      
looked down at the engine as casually as
 he would glance at a nickel alarm      
clock4  ,she was hitting all right when 
you backed down here1 ,nolan remarked   
easily4  ,i'll just take a look at her  
myself4  ,fords are cranky sometimes4   
,but ,i've assembled too many of them in
 the factory to let one get the best of 
me in the desert4  ,casey could almost  
hear his heart when it slumped down into
 his boots4 ,but he wasn't licked yet4  
,aw1 let the darned thing alone till we 
eat1 he said1 pushing his hat forward to
 hurry his wits4  ,well--,i can throw a 
,ford together in the dark1 if          

necessary1 smiled ,mack ,nolan4  ,eat1  
it is1 if you want it that way4 ,that   
breakfast ,i put away seems to have     
sharpened my appetite for supper4  ,tell
 you what1 ,ryan4  ,i'll do a little    
trouble-shooting here while you cook    
supper4 ,how'll that be8  ,that wouldn't
 be1 if ,casey could prevent it4  ,his  
pale1 narrow-lidded eyes dwelt upon     
,nolan unwinkingly4  ,well1 mebby ,i'm  
kind of a crank about my car1 he hedged1
 with a praiseworthy calmness4  ,fords  
is like horses1 to me4 ,i drove stage   
all m' life till ,i took to             
prospectin'--an' ,i never could stand   
around and let anybody else monkey with 
my teams4  ,i ain't a doubt in the      
world1 ,mr4 ,nolan1 but what you know as
 much about ,fords as ,i do4  ,more1    
mebby4 ,but ,casey ,ryan's got 'is      
little ways1 an' he can't seem to ditch 
'em4 ,we'll eat2 an' then mebby we'll   
look 'er over together4  ,at the same   
time1 he went on with rising courage1   
,i'm liable to stick around here for    

awhile an' prospect a little4  ,if you  
wanta find them mules an' outfit1 don't 
bank too strong on ,casey ,ryan4 ,he's  
liable to change 'is mind any old time4 
,day or night1 you can't tell what      
,casey might take a notion to do4  ,that
 there's a fact4  ,you can ask anybody  
if it ain't4  ,mack ,nolan laughed and  
slapped ,casey unexpectedly on the      
shoulder4 ,you're a man after my own    
heart1 ,casey ,ryan1 he declared        
enigmatically4  ,i'll stick to you and  
take a chance4 ,darn the mules6         
,somebody will find them and look after 
them until ,i show up4  ,casey's        
spirits1 as he admitted to himself1 were
 rising and falling like the hammer of a
 pile driver2 and like the pile driver1 
the hammer was driving him deeper and   
deeper into hopelessness4  ,he would    
have given an ear to know for certain   
whether ,mack ,nolan were as innocent   
and friendly as he seemed4 ,until he did
 know1 ,casey could see nothing before  
him but to wait his chance to give      

,nolan the slip4  ,sitting cross-legged 
in the glow of the campfire after       
supper1 with a huge pattern of stars    
drawn over the purple night sky1 ,casey 
pulled out the old pipe with which he   
had solaced many an evening and stuffed 
it thoughtfully with tobacco4  ,across  
the campfire1 ,mack ,nolan sat with his 
hat tilted down over his eyes1 smoking a
 cigarette and seeming at peace with all
 the world4  ,casey hoped that ,nolan   
would forget about fixing the ,ford4    
,he hoped that ,nolan would sleep well  
to-night4  ,casey was perfectly willing 
to sacrifice a good roll of bedding and 
the cooking outfit for the privilege of 
traveling alone4  ,no man1 he told      
himself savagely1 could ask a better    
deal than he was prepared to give       
,nolan4  ,he bent to reach a burning    
twig for his pipe1 and found ,nolan     
watching him steadily from under his hat
 brim4  ,what sort of looking fellows   
were those1 ,ryan1 that left a load of  
booze on your hands8  ,nolan asked      

casually when he saw that he was        
observed4  ,casey burned his fingers    
with the blazing twig4  ,who said       
anything about any fellers leavin' me   
booze8 he evaded sharply4 ,if it's a    
drink you're hintin' for1 you won't get 
it4  ,casey ,ryan ain't no booze        
peddler1 an' now's as good a time as any
 to let that soak into your system4     
,mack ,nolan's gray eyes were still     
watching ,casey with a steadfastness    
that was disconcerting to a man in      
,casey's dilemma4  ,it might help us    
both considerably1 he said quietly1 if  
you told me all about it4  ,you can't   
cache that booze you've got in the      
car--,i won't let you1 for one thing2   
for another1 that would be merely       
dodging the issue1 and if you'll forgive
 my frankness1 dodging doesn't seem to  
be quite in your line4  ,casey puffed   
hard on his pipe4  ,the world's gittin' 
so darned full uh crooks1 a man can't   
turn around now'days without bumpin'    
into a few6 he exploded bitterly4  ,what

 kind uh hold-up game ,,you playin'1    
,mr4 ,nolan8  ,if that's your name1 he  
added fiercely4  ,mack ,nolan laughed to
 himself and rubbed the ash from his    
cigarette against the sole of his shoe4 
,why1 he answered genially1 my game is  
holding up bootleggers--and crooked     
cops4 ,speaking off-hand 7which ,i don't
 often do7 ,i should say you have a fine
 chance to sit in with me4 ,i'm just    
guessing1 now1  he added dryly1  but    
,i'm tolerably good at guessing2 a man's
 got to be1 these days4  ,a man's got to
 do better than guess--with ,casey      
,ryan1 ,casey remarked ominously4  ,the 
last man that guessed ,casey ,ryan1     
guessed 'im plumb wrong4  ,meaning that 
you'd refuse to help me round up        
bootleggers and the officers that       
protect them8 ,a steel edge crept into  
,mack ,nolan's voice4  ,he leaned       
forward1 his elbows on his knees1 his   
eyes boring into ,casey's mind4  ,man1  
don't stall with me6  ,you've got brains
 enough to know that if ,i were a crook 

,i'd have held you up long before now4  
,you gave me three splendid             
opportunities to stick a gun in your    
back--and ,i could have made others4    
,and1 he added with a smile1 if ,i had  
thought that you were a bootlegger or a 
crook of any other kind1 ,i'd have had  
you in ,las ,vegas jail by this time4   
,you're no more a crook than ,i am4     
,you've got neither the looks nor the   
actions of a slicker4  ,i may say ,i    
know you pretty well--  ,casey thrust   
out a pugnacious chin4  ,say6  ,d' you  
know ,bill ,masters1 too8  ,that's all  
,i wanta know6  ,bill ,masters8  ,why1  
is he the fellow who stepped out from   
under this load of hootch8  ,if he is1  
he must have picked himself a new name2 
,i never heard it4  ,casey glared       
suspiciously for twenty seconds before  
he settled back glumly into his mental  
corner4  ,ryan1 ,i've been all day      
sizing you up4  ,i'm going to be        
perfectly honest with you and tell you  
why ,i think you're straight--although  

you must admit the evidence is rather   
against you4  ,i happened to be right   
close when you drove down in here and   
stopped4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,i was   
behind that little clump of junipers4   
,had you driven around them instead of  
stopping this side1 you couldn't have   
failed to see me4  ,you came down here  
mad at the trick that had been played   
you4 ,you were so mad1 you started      
talking to yourself as a safety         
valve--blowing off mental steam4        
,you've spent a lot of time in the      
desert--alone4  ,men like that          
frequently talk aloud their thoughts1   
just to hear a human voice4  ,you made  
matters pretty plain to me before you   
knew there was any one within miles of  
you4  ,for instance1 you're not at all  
sure this car you've got wasn't stolen4 
,you're inclined to think it was4       
,you're broke--robbed1 ,i take it1 by   
the men who somehow managed to leave you
 with the car and a load of booze on    
your hands4  ,the trick must have been  

turned this morning2 down at the        
railroad1  ,i imagine--because you      
hadn't taken time to stop and size up   
the predicament you were in until you   
got here4  ,your main idea was to get   
off somewhere out of sight4  ,you were  
scared4 ,you didn't hear me behind you  
until ,i spoke--which proves you're a   
green hand at dodging4  ,and that1      
,ryan1 is a very good recommendation to 
a man in my line of work4  ,but you're  
shrewd1 and you're game--dead game4     
,you're a peach at thinking up schemes  
to get yourself out of a hole4  ,of     
course1 being new at it1 you don't think
 quite far enough4  ,for instance1      
because you found me afoot it never     
occurred to you that ,i might know      
something about a car2 but the rest of  
your plan was a dandy4  ,your idea of   
backing down there around the turn and  
burying the booze was all right4  ,with 
almost any other man it would have      
worked4 ,once you got that hootch off   
your mind1 ,i rather think you'd have   

been glad to have me along with you1    
instead of giving me broad hints to     
leave4 ,but you haven't got the booze   
buried yet1 and you've been figuring all
 the evening4  ,you don't see how the   
devil you're going to manage it with me 
around4  ,i'll do a little more         
guessing1 now3 ,i guess you've doped it 
out that you'll pack the bedroll up     
here1 tuck me in and pray to the ,lord  
,i'll sleep sound4  ,you're hoping you  
can cache the booze and make your       
getaway while ,i've gone bye-low4  ,or  
possibly1 if you got the booze put away 
safe from my prying eyes1 you might come
 back to bed and ,i'd find you here in  
the morning just as if nothing had      
happened4  ,how ,is that for guesswork8 
,you go tahell6 growled ,casey1         
swallowing a sickly grin4  ,he pressed  
down the tobacco in his pipe1 eyeing    
,nolan queerly4  ,if them damn' lizards 
had uh let yuh alone1 ,i wouldn't have  
nothin' on m' mind now but my hat4  ,he 
looked across the fire and grinned      

again4  ,keep on2 you'll be tellin' me  
what the missus an' ,i was arguin' about
 last night over long-distance4  ,i've  
heard tell uh this four-bit mind reading
 an' forecastin' your horrorscope fer a 
dime2 but ,i never met up with it       
before4  ,if you're aimin' to take up a 
collection after the show1 you'll fare  
slim4  ,i've been what a feller called  
'dusted off'4 ,he added1 after a pause  
that was eloquent1 ,they done it        
thorough6  ,mack ,nolan laughed4  ,they 
usually are thorough1 when they're      
'dusting off a chump'1 as ,i believe    
they call it4  ,casey grunted4  ',chump'
 is right1 mebby4  ,but anyways1 you're 
too late1 ,mr4 ,nolan4 ,i'm cleaned4    
,mack ,nolan rolled another cigarette1  
lighted it and flipped the match into   
the campfire4  ,he smoked it down to the
 last inch1 staring into the fire and   
saying nothing the while4  ,when the    
cigarette stub followed the match1 he   
leaned back upon one elbow and began    
tracing a geometrical figure in the sand

 with a stick4  ,ryan1 he said abruptly1
 you're square and ,i know it4  ,the    
very nature of my business makes me     
cautious about trusting men--but ,i'm   
going to trust you4  ,he stopped again1 
taking great pains with the point of a  
triangle he was drawing4  ,casey knocked
 the ashes out of his pipe against a    
rock4  ,puttin' it that way1 ,mr4       
,nolan1 the man's yet to live that      
,casey ,ryan ever double-crossed4  ,cops
 ,i got no use for2 nor yet bootleggers4
 ,whether ,i got any use for you1 ,mr4  
,nolan1 ,i can say better when ,i've    
heard yuh out4  ,a goat ,i've been for  
the last time4  ,but ,i'm willin' to    
,,hear yuh out--and that there's more'n 
what ,i'd uh said this morning4  ,and   
that's fair enough1 ,ryan4  ,if you     
jumped into things with your eyes shut1 
,i don't think ,i'd want you with me4   
,casey squirmed1 remembering certain    
times when he had gone too headlong into
 things4  ,i'm going to ask you1 ,ryan1 
to tell me the whole story of this car  

and its load of whisky4  ,before you do 
that1 ,i'll tell you this much to show  
good faith and prove to you how much ,i 
trust you3 ,i'm an officer1 and my      
special work right now is to clean up a 
gang of bootleggers and the crooked     
officers who are protecting them4 ,what 
,i know about your case leads me to     
believe that you've run afoul of them   
and that you're the man ,i've been      
looking for that can help me set a trap 
for them4 ,would you like to do that8   
,if it's that bunch you're after1 ,mr4  
,nolan1 ,i'd ruther land 'em in jail    
than to find a ledge of solid gold ten  
feet thick an' a mile long4 ,one thing  
,i'd like to know first4  ,are yuh or   
ain't yuh huntin' mules8  ,mack ,nolan  
laughed4  ,i am1 yes4  ,but the mule    
,i'm hunting is white6  ,casey studied  
that until he had the fresh pipeful of  
tobacco going well4  ,then he looked up 
and grinned understandingly4  ,so it's  
,white ,mule you're trailin'4  ,he      
kicked a stub of greasewood branch back 

into the flames and laughed4  ,well1 the
 tracks is deep an' plenty1 and if      
that's the trail you're takin'1 ,i'm    
with yuh4 ,you ain't a cop--leastways   
you don't spread your arms every time   
you turn around4 ,gosh1 ,i hate them    
wing-floppin' kind6  ,they's one thing  
an' one only that ,i hate worse--an'    
that's bootleggers an' moonshiners4  ,if
 you got a scheme to give them cusses   
their needin's1 you can ask anybody if  
,casey ,ryan ain't the feller you can   
bank on4  ,yes4  ,that's what ,i've been
 thinking4  ,now1 ,i wish you'd tell me 
exactly what you've been up against4    
,don't leave out anything1 however      
trivial it might seem to you4           
,wherefore1 ,casey sat with the         
firelight flickering across his seamed1 
,irish face and told the story of his   
wrongs4  ,trivial details ,nolan had    
asked for--and he got them with the full
 ,casey ,ryan flavor4 ,even the old     
woman who rocked1 ,casey pictured--from 
his particular angle4  ,mack ,nolan sat 

up and listened1 his eyes steady and his
 mouth1 that had curved to laughter many
 times during the recital1 once more    
firm and somewhat pitiless when ,casey  
finished4  ,this ,smiling ,lou2 you'd   
know him again1 of course8  ,know him6  
,say1 ,i'd know him after he'd fried a  
week in hell6 ,casey's tone left no     
doubt of his meaning4  ,and ,i suppose  
you could tell this man ,kenner a mile  
off and around a corner4  ,now1 ,i'll   
tell you what ,i want you to do1 ,casey4
  ,this may jar you a little--until ,i  
explain4  ,i want you--  ,mack ,nolan   
paused1 his lips twitching in a faint   
smile--to do a little bootlegging       
yourself4  ,yuh--,,what8 ,in the        
firelight ,casey's eyes were seen to    
bulge4  ,i want you to bootleg this     
whisky you've got in the car4 ,nolan's  
eyes twinkled4  ,i want you to go back  
and peddle this booze1 and ,i want you  
to do it so that ,smiling ,lou or one of
 his bunch will hold you up and highjack
 you4  ,do you see what ,i mean8 ,you   

don't--so ,i'll tell you4 ,we'll put it 
in marked bottles4  ,i have the bottles 
and the seals and labels for every brand
 of liquor to be had in the country     
to-day4  ,with marked money and marked  
bottles1 we ought to be able to get the 
goods on that gang4  ,casey thought of  
something quite suddenly and held out an
 imperative1 pointing finger4  ,there's 
something else that feller told me was  
in the car6 he cried agitatedly4  ,he   
said he had forty pints of ,french      
champagne cached in a false bottom under
 the front seat4  ,and he said the front
 cushion had a blind pocket around the  
edges that was full uh dope4  ,hop1 he  
called it4  ,mack ,nolan whistled under 
his breath4  ,and he turned the whole   
outfit over to you for sixteen hundred  
dollars or so8  ,he stared thoughtfully 
into the fire4  ,abruptly he looked at  
,casey4  ,what the deuce had you done to
 him1 ,ryan8 he asked1 with a quizzical 
intentness4  ,he must have been scared  
stiff1 to let go of all that stuff for  

sixteen hundred4  ,why1 man1 the        
'junk'--that's dope--alone must be worth
 more than that4  ,and the              
champagne--forty pints1 you say8 ,he    
ought to get twenty dollars a pint for  
that4  ,figure it yourself4  ,i hope1 he
 added seriously1 the fellow wasn't too 
scared to show up again4  ,well1 ,casey 
said grimly1 ,i dunno how scart he      
is--but he knows darn' well ,i'll kill  
'im4 ,i told im ,i would4  ,again ,mack 
,nolan laughed4  ,catching's much better
 than killing1 ,ryan4 ,it hurts a man   
worse1 and it lasts a heap longer4      
,what do you say to turning in8         
,to-morrow we'll have a full day at my  
private bottling works4  ,they moved    
their cooking outfit down near the ,ford
 for safety's sake4 ,while it was wholly
 improbable that the car would be robbed
 in the night1 ,mack ,nolan was a man   
who took as few chances as possible4 ,it
 happened that the excavation ,casey had
 so hopefully made that morning formed a
 convenient level for their bed2        

wherefore they spread it there1 talking 
in low tones of their plans until they  
went to sleep4    ,,chapter ,,fifteen   
,dawn was just thinning the curtain of  
darkness when ,nolan woke ,casey with a 
shake of the shoulder4  ,i think we'd   
better be moving from here before the   
world's astir4 ,you can back on down    
this draw1 ,ryan1 and strike an old     
trail that cuts over the ridge and up   
the next gulch to an old1 deserted mine 
where ,i've made headquarters4  ,it     
isn't far1 and we can have breakfast at 
my camp4  ,casey swallowed his          
astonishment1 and for once in his life  
he did as he was told without argument4 
,mack ,nolan's camp was fairly          
accessible by roundabout trail with a   
few tire tracks to point the way for    
,casey4  ,straight across the ridges1 it
 would not have been more than two miles
 to ,juniper ,wells4 ,nevertheless not  
one man in a year would be tempted to   
come this way1 unless it were definitely
 known that some one lived here4  ,as   

the camp of a man who was prospecting   
for pastime rather than for a grubstake1
 the place was perfect4  ,mack ,nolan   
had taken possession of a cabin dug into
 the hill at the head of a long draw4 ,a
 brush-covered shed of makeshift        
construction sheltered a car of the     
ubiquitous ,ford make4  ,fifty yards    
away and in full sight of the cabin1 the
 mouth of a tunnel yawned blackly under 
a rhyolite ledge4  ,casey swept the camp
 with an observant glance and nodded    
approval as and stopped before the      
cabin4  ,as a prospector1 ,mr4 ,nolan1  
,i'll say 'tis a fine layout you got    
here4 ,an' tain't the first time an     
honest-lookin' mine has been made to    
cover things far off from minin'4  ,like
 the ,black ,butte bunch1 f'r instance4 
,but if any one was to ride up on yuh   
unexpected here1 ,i'll say yuh could    
meet 'em with a grin an' feel easy about
 your secrets4  ,that's praise indeed1  
coming from an old hand like you1 ,nolan
 declared4  ,now ,i'll tell you         

something else4  ,with ,casey ,ryan in  
the camp the whole thing's twice as     
convincing4  ,come in4  ,i want to show 
you what ,i call an artistic interior4  
,grinning1 ,casey followed him inside   
and exclaimed profanely in admiration of
 ,mack ,nolan's genius4  ,the cabin     
showed every mark of the owner's        
interest in the geologic formation of   
that immediate district4  ,on the floor 
along the wall lay specimens of         
mineralized rock1 a couple of           
prospector's picks1 a single-jack and a 
set of drills2 a sample sack1 grimed and
 with a hole in the corner mended by the
 simple process of gathering the cloth  
together around it and tying it tightly 
with a string1 hung from a nail above   
the tools4 ,on the window sill were     
specimens of ore2 two or three of the   
pieces showed a richness that lighted   
,casey's eyes with the enthusiasm of an 
old prospector4  ,mining journals and a 
prospector's manual lay upon a box table
 at the foot of the bunk4 ,for the rest1

 the cabin looked exactly what it       
was--the orderly home of a man quite    
accustomed to primitive living far off  
from his fellows4  ,they had a very     
satisfactory breakfast cooked by ,mack  
,nolan from his own supplies and eaten  
in a leisurely manner while ,nolan      
talked of primary formations and        
secondary1 and of mineral intrusions and
 breaks4 ,casey listened and learned a  
few things he had not known1 for all his
 years of prospecting4  ,mack ,nolan1 he
 decided1 could pass anywhere as a      
mining expert4  ,and now1 said ,nolan   
briskly1 when he had hung up the dishpan
 and draped the dishcloth over it to    
dry1 ,i'll show you the bottling works4 
,we'll have to do the work by           
lantern-light4  ,there's not one chance 
in fifty that any one would show up     
here--but you never can tell4 ,we could 
get the stuff out of sight easily enough
 while the car was coming up the gulch4 
,but the smell is a different matter4   
,we'll take no chances4  ,at the head of

 the bunk1 a curtained space beneath a  
high shelf very obviously did duty as a 
wardrobe4  ,a leather motor coat hung   
there1 one sleeve protruding beyond the 
curtain of flowered calico4 ,other      
garments bulged the cloth here and      
there4  ,nolan1 smiling over his        
shoulder at ,casey1 nodded and pushed   
the clothing aside4  ,a door behind     
opened inward1 admitting the two into a 
small recess from which another door    
opened into a cellar dug deep into the  
hill4  ,undoubtedly this had once been  
used as a frost-proof storeroom4 ,a     
small ventilator pipe opened--so ,nolan 
told ,casey--in the middle of a         
greasewood clump4  ,nolan lighted a     
gasoline lantern that shed a white      
brilliance upon the room4  ,on the long 
table which extended down one side of   
the room1 ,casey saw boxes of bottles   
and other supplies which he did not at  
the moment recognize4  ,we'll have to   
rebottle all the whisky1 said ,nolan4   
,you'll see a certain mark blown into   

the bottom of each one of these4 ,the   
champagne1 ,i'm afraid1 ,i must either  
confiscate and destroy or run the risk  
of marking the labels4  ,the hop we'll  
lay aside for further consideration4    
,casey grinned1 thinking of the speedy  
downfall of his enemies1 ,smiling ,lou  
and ,kenner--and1 as a secondary        
consideration other crooks of their     
type4  ,so now we'll unload the stuff1  
,ryan1 and get to work here4 ,nolan     
adjusted the white flame in the mantle  
of the gasoline lantern and led the way 
outside4  ,take in the seat-cushion1    
,casey4  ,i don't fancy opening it      
outside1 even in this howling           
wilderness4  ,i think ,i'll just pack in
 the kegs first1 ,mr4 ,nolan4  ,for the 
first time since the shock of ,mr4      
,nolan's mind-reading the night before1 
,casey ventured a suggestion4  ,anybody 
comes along1 it's the kegs they'd look  
at cross-eyed4  ,cushions is expected in
 ,fords--if ,i ain't buttin' in1 he     
added meekly4  ,which you're not4       

,you're acting as my agent now1 ,ryan1  
and it will take two heads to put this  
over without a hitch4  ,sure1 put the   
kegs out of sight first4  ,the bottles  
next--and then we'll make short work of 
the dope in the cushion4  ,casey carried
 in the kegs while ,nolan kept watch for
 inopportune visitors4  ,it was thought 
inadvisable to unload the camp outfit   
from the car until the whisky was all   
removed4  ,the outfit effectually hid   
what was below--and they were taking no 
chances4 ,they both breathed freer when 
the two kegs were in the cellar4 ,nolan 
was pleased2 too1 when ,casey came out  
with the sample bag and announced that  
he would carry the bottles in the bag4  
,then ,nolan fancied he heard a car1 and
 walked away to where he would have a   
longer view down the gulch4  ,he would  
whistle1 he said1 and warn ,casey if    
someone was coming4  ,he had not        
proceeded fifty yards when ,casey yelled
 and brought him back at a run4  ,casey 
was rummaging in the car1 throwing      

things about with a recklessness which  
ill-became an agent of the              
self-possessed ,mack ,nolan4  ,there    
ain't a damn' bottle here6 he bellowed  
indignantly4 ,them crooks gypped me outa
 ten gallons uh good1 bottle whisky6    
,now what do you know about that1 ,mr4  
,nolan8  ,that feller said it was       
high-grade stuff he had packed away at  
the bottom4  ,he lied4 ,there ain't     
nothin' here but a set uh skid chains   
an' a jack4 ,an' the champagne1 mebby1  
under the front seat6  ,mack ,nolan's   
eyes narrowed4  ,i think ,ryan1 ,i'll   
have a look under that front seat4  ,he 
had a look--several looks1 in fact4     
,there was the false bottom under the   
seat1 but there was nothing in it4  ,he 
took his pocket knife1 opened a blade   
and split the edge of the seat-cushion  
at the bottom4 ,he inserted a finger and
 thumb and drew out a bit of hair       
stuffing4 ,he stood up and eyed ,casey  
sharply1 and ,casey stared back         
defensively4  ,he was a darned liar from

 start t' finish4  ,he said there was   
champagne an' he said there was hop1    
,casey stated flatly4  ,i wondered at   
his letting go of stuff as valuable as  
that1 said ,nolan4 ,i think we'd better 
take a look at those kegs4  ,they went  
into the cellar and took a look at the  
kegs4  ,both kegs4 ,afterward they stood
 and looked at each other4  ,casey's    
hands went to his hips1 and the muscles 
along his jaw hardened into lumps4 ,he  
spat into the dirt of the cellar floor4 
,water6  ,he snorted disgustedly4       
,casey ,ryan with the devil an' all     
scart outa him1 thinkin' he had         
ownership of a load uh booze an' hop    
sufficient t' hang 'im6  ,his hand slid 
into his trousers pocket1 reaching for  
the comforting plug of tobacco4  ,stuck 
up an' robbed is what happens t' ,casey4
  ,you can ask anybody if it ain't      
highway robbery6  ,nolan stopped        
whistling under his breath4 ,there's the
 ,ford1 he reminded ,casey comfortingly4
  ,which ,i wisht it wasn't6 snarled    

,casey4  ,you know yourself1 ,mr4       
,nolan1 it's likely stole1 an' the first
 man ,i meet in the trail'll likely take
 it off me1 claimin' it's his'n6  ,mack 
,nolan started whistling again1 but     
checked himself abruptly4 ,well1 our    
trap's wanting bait1 ,i see4  ,this     
leaves me still hunting the ,white      
,mule4  ,aw1 tahell with your ,white    
,mule6  ,tahell with everything6 ,casey 
kicked the nearest keg viciously and    
went out into the sunshine1 swearing to 
himself4    ,,chapter ,,sixteen  ,in the
 shade of a juniper that grew on the    
highest point of the gulch's rim1 ,mack 
,nolan lay sprawled on the flat of his  
back1 one arm for a pillow1 and stared  
up into the serene blue of the sky with 
cottony flakes of cloud swimming        
steadily to the northeast4 ,three feet  
away1 ,casey ,ryan rested on left hip   
and elbow and stared glumly down upon   
the cabin directly beneath them4        
,whenever his pale1 straight-lidded eyes
 focussed upon the dusty top of the     

,ford car standing in front of the      
cabin1 ,casey said something under his  
breath4       ,miles away to the south1 
pale violet1 dreamlike in the distance1 
the jagged outline of a small mountain  
range stood as if painted upon the      
horizon4  ,a wavy ribbon of smudgy brown
 was drawn uncertainly across the base  
of the mountains4  ,this1 ,casey knew1  
when his eyes lifted to look that way1  
marked the line of the ,sante ,fe and a 
train moving heavily upgrade to the     
west4  ,toward it dipped the smooth     
stretch of barren mesa cut straight down
 the middle with a yellow line that was 
the highway up which ,casey had driven  
the morning before4  ,the inimitable    
magic of distance and high desert air   
veiled greasewood1 sage and sand with   
the glamour of unreality4  ,the         
mountains beyond1 unspeakably desolate  
and forbidding at close range1 and the  
little black buttes standing afar1      
off--small spewings of age-old volcanos 
dead before man was born--seemed        

fascinating1 unknown islets anchored in 
a sea of enchantment4  ,across the      
valley to the west nearer mountains1 all
 amethyst and opal tinted1 stood bold   
and inscrutable1 with jagged peaks      
thrust into the blue to pierce and hold 
the little clouds that came floating by4
  ,even the gulch at hand had been      
touched by the enchanter's wand and     
smiled mysteriously in the vivid        
sunlight1 the very air a-quiver with    
that indescribable beauty of the high   
mesa land which holds desert dwellers in
 thrall4  ,when first ,casey saw the    
smoke smudge against the mountains to   
the south1 he remembered his            
misadventure of the lower desert and    
swore4 ,when he looked again1 the       
majestic sweep of distance gave him a   
satisfied feeling of freedom from the   
crowded pettinesses of the city4 ,for   
the first time since trouble met him in 
the trail between ,victorville and      
,barstow1 ,casey heaved a sigh of       
content because he was once more out in 

the big land he loved4 ,those distant1  
painted mountains1 looking as impossible
 as the back drop of a stage1 held      
gulches and deep canyons he knew4  ,the 
closer hills he had prospected4 ,the    
mesa1 spread all around him1 seemed more
 familiar than the white apartment house
 in ,los ,angeles which ,casey had      
lately called home4  ,and if the thought
 of the ,little ,woman brought with it  
the vague discomfort of a schoolboy     
playing hookey1 ,casey could not have   
regretted being here with ,mack ,nolan  
if he had tried4  ,they were lying up   
here in the shade--following the        
instinct of other creatures of the wild 
to guard against surprises--while they  
worked out a nice problem in moonshine4 
,and since the desert had never meant a 
monotonously placid life to ,casey--who 
carried his problems philosophically as 
a dog bears patiently with fleas--he had
 every reason now for feeling very much 
at home4  ,when he reached mechanically 
into his pocket for his ,bull ,durham   

and papers1 any man who knew him well   
would have recognized the motion as a   
sign that ,casey was himself again1 once
 more on his mental feet and ready to go
 boring optimistically into his next    
bunch of trouble4  ,mack ,nolan raised  
his head off his arm and glanced at     
,casey quizzically4  ,well--we can't    
catch fish if we won't cut bait1 he     
volunteered sententiously4  ,i've a nice
 little job staked out for you1 ,casey4 
,casey gave a grunt that might mean one 
of several things1 and which probably   
meant them all4  ,he waited until he had
 his cigarette going4 ,if it ain't a    
goat's job ,i'm fer it1 he said4 ,casey 
,ryan ain't the man t' set in the shade 
whilst there's men runnin' loose he's   
darned anxious t' meet4  ,i've been     
thinking over the deal those fellows    
pulled on you4 ,if the man ,kenner had  
left you the booze and dope he told you 
was in the car1 ,i'd say it was a       
straight case of a sticky-fingered      
officer letting a bootlegger by with    

part of his load1 and a later attack of 
cold feet on the part of the bootlegger4
  ,but they didn't leave you any booze4 
,so ,i have doped it this way1 ,ryan4   
,the thing's deeper than it looked1     
yesterday4  ,those two were working     
together1 part of a gang1 ,i should say1
 with a fairly well-organized system4   
,by accident--and probably for a greater
 degree of safety in getting out of the 
city1 ,kenner invited you to ride with  
him4  ,he wanted no argument with that  
traffic cop--no record made of his name 
and license number4  ,so he took you in4
 ,when he found out who you were1 he    
knew you were at outs with the law4 ,he 
knew you as an experienced desert man4  
,he had you placed as a valuable member 
of their gang1 if you could be won over 
and persuaded to join them4  ,as soon as
 possible he got you behind the         
wheel--further protection to himself if 
he should meet an officer who was       
straight4  ,he felt you out on the      
subject of a partnership4  ,and when you

 met ,smiling ,lou--well1 this ,kenner  
had decided to take no chance with you4 
,he still had hopes of pulling you in   
with them1 but he was far from feeling  
sure of you4 ,he undoubtedly gave       
,smiling ,lou the cue to make the thing 
appear an ordinary case of highjacking  
while he ditched his whole load so that 
there would be no evidence against him  
if he lost out and you turned nasty4    
,i'm absolutely certain1 ,casey1 that if
 you had not been along1 ,smiling ,lou  
would not have touched that load4       
,they'd probably have stopped there for 
a talk1 exchanged news and perhaps      
perfected future plans1 and parted like 
two old cronies4  ,it's possible1 of    
course1 that ,smiling ,lou might have   
taken some whisky back with him--if he  
had needed it4  ,otherwise1 ,i think    
they split more cash than booze1 as a   
rule4  ,casey sat up4  ,well1 they      
coulda played me for a sucker easy      
enough1 he admitted reluctantly4  ,an'  
if it'll be any help to yuh1 ,mr4       

,nolan1 ,i'll say that ,i never seen the
 money passed from ,kenner to ,smilin'  
,lou1 an' ,i never seen a bottle        
unloaded from the car4  ,i heard 'em    
yes4 ,an' ,i'll say there was a bunch of
 'em all right4  ,but what ,i ,,seen was
 the road ahead of me and that car of   
,smilin' ,lou's standin' in the middle  
of it4  ,he had a gun pulled on me1 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  
ground4  ,all the more reason1 said     
,nolan1 also sitting up with his hands  
clasped around his knees1 why it's      
important to catch them with the goods4 
,you'll have to peddle hootch1 ,casey1  
until we get ,smiling ,lou and his      
outfit4  ,and where1 ,mr4 ,nolan1 do ,i 
git the booze to peddle8 asked ,casey   
practically4  ,nolan laughed to himself4
  ,it can be bought1 he said1 but ,i'd  
rather not4  ,since you've never        
monkeyed with the stuff1 it might make  

you conspicuous if you went around      
buying up a load of hootch4 ,and of     
course ,i can't appear in this thing at 
all4  ,but ,i have what ,i think is a   
very good plan4  ,casey looked at him   
inquiringly1 and again ,nolan laughed4  
,nothing for it1 ,casey1--we'll have to 
locate a still and rob it4 ,that1 or    
make some of our own1 which takes time4 
,and it's an unpleasant1 messy job      
anyway4  ,casey stared dubiously down   
into the gulch4  ,that'd be fine1 ,mr4  
,nolan1 if we knew where was the still4 
,or mebby yuh do know4  ,mack ,nolan    
shook his head4  ,no1 ,i don't1 worse   
luck4 ,i haven't been long enough in the
 district to know as much about it as ,i
 hope to know later on4  ,prospecting   
for this headquarters took a little     
time2 and getting my stuff moved in here
 secretly took more time4  ,a week ago1 
,casey1 ,i shouldn't have been quite    
ready to use you4  ,but you came when   
you were needed1 and so--,i feel sure   
the ,white ,mule will presently show up4

  ,casey lifted his head and stared     
meditatively out across the immensity of
 the empty land around them4  ,she's a  
damn' big country1 ,mr4 ,nolan4 ,i      
dunno1 he remarked doubtfully4  ,but    
,casey ,ryan has yet t' go after a thing
 an' fail t' git it4  ,i guess if it's  
hootch we want1 it ought t' be easy     
enough t' find2 it shore has been hard  
t' dodge it lately6 ,if yuh want ,white 
,mule1 ,mr4 ,nolan1 you send ,casey out 
travelin' peaceful an' meanin' harm t'  
nobody4  ,foller ,casey and you'll find 
'im tangled up with a mess uh hootch    
b'fore he gits ten miles from camp4     
,you could go out and highjack some one4
 ,nolan agreed1 taking him              
seriously--which ,casey had not         
intended4  ,i think we'll go down and   
load the camp outfit into my car1 ,ryan1
 and ,i'll start you out4  ,go up into  
your old stamping ground where people   
know you4 ,if you're careful in picking 
your men1 you could locate some hootch1 
couldn't you1 without attracting        

attention8  ,casey studied the matter4  
,bill ,masters could mebby help me out1 
he said finally4  ,only ,i don't like   
the friends ,bill's been wishin' onto me
 lately4  ,this man ,kenner1 that held  
me up1 knowed ,bill ,masters intimate4  
,i'm kinda losin' my taste fer ,bill    
lately4  ,mack ,nolan seized upon the   
clue avidly4  ,before ,casey quite      
realized what he had done1 he found     
himself hustled away from camp in ,mack 
,nolan's car1 headed for ,lund in the   
service of his government4 ,since young 
,kenner had been able to talk so        
intimately of ,bill ,masters1 ,mack     
,nolan argued that ,bill ,masters should
 likewise be able to give some useful   
information concerning young ,kenner4   
,moreover1 a man in ,bill ,masters'     
position would probably know at least a 
few of the hidden trails of the ,white  
,mule near ,lund4  ,if you can bring    
back a load of moonshine ,ryan1 by all  
means do so1 ,nolan instructed ,casey at
 the last moment4  ,here's money to buy 

it with4  ,we should have enough to make
 a good haul for ,smiling ,lou4 ,twenty 
gallons at least--forty1 if you can get 
them4 ,keep your weather eye open1 and  
whatever happens1 don't mention my name 
or say that you are working with the    
law4  ,in five days1 if you are not     
here1 ,i shall drive to ,las ,vegas4    
,get word to me there if anything goes  
wrong4  ,just write or wire to ,general 
,delivery4 ,but ,i look for you back1   
,ryan1 not later than ,friday midnight4 
,take no unnecessary risk2 this is more 
important than you know4  ,nolan's crisp
 tone of authority remained with ,casey 
mile upon mile4 ,and such was the ,casey
 ,ryan driving that midnight found him  
coasting into ,bill ,masters' garage in 
,lund with the motor shut off and a grin
 on the ,casey ,ryan face4    ,,chapter 
,,seventeen  ,mack ,nolan had just      
crawled into his bunk on ,wednesday     
night when he thought he heard a car    
laboring up the gulch4  ,he sat up in   
bed to listen and then got hurriedly    

into his clothes4  ,he was standing just
 around the corner of the dugout where  
the headlights could not reach him1 when
 ,casey killed the engine and stopped   
before the door4 ,steam was rising in a 
small cloud from the radiator cap1 and  
the sound of boiling water was          
distinctly audible some distance away4  
,mack ,nolan waited until ,casey had    
climbed out from behind the wheel and   
headed for the door4  ,then he stepped  
out and hailed him4  ,casey started     
perceptibly1 whirling as if to face an  
enemy4 ,when he saw that it was ,nolan  
he apparently lost his desire to enter  
the cabin4 ,instead he came close to    
,nolan and spoke in a hoarse whisper4   
,we better run 'er under the shed1 ,mr4 
,nolan1 and drain the darned radiator4  
,i dunno am ,i follered or not1 but ,i  
was awhile back4 ,but the man that      
catches ,casey ,ryan when he's on the   
trail an' travelin1 has yet t' be born4 
,an' you can ask anybody if that ain't  
so4  ,mack ,nolan's eyes narrowed4  ,and

 who followed you then8 he asked        
quietly4 ,did you bring any hootch8     
,did yuh send ,casey ,ryan after hootch1
 or was it mebby spuds er somethin'8    
,casey retorted with heavy dignity4     
,will yuh pack it in1 ,mr4 ,nolan1      
whilst ,i back the car in the shed1 or  
shall ,i bring it when ,i come8  ,it    
ain't so much1 he added drily1  but it  
cost the trouble of a trainload4  ,i'll 
take it in1 said ,nolan4  ,if any one   
does come we want no evidence in reach4 
,casey turned to the car1 clawed at his 
camp outfit and lifted out a demijohn   
which he grimly handed to ,nolan4  ,fer 
many a mile it rode on the seat with me 
so ,i could drink 'er down if they got  
me cornered1 he grinned4  ,one good     
swaller is about the size of it1 ,mr4   
,nolan4  ,nolan grinned in sympathy and 
turned into the cabin1 bearing the      
three-gallon1 wicker-covered glass      
bottle in his arms4  ,presently he      
returned to the doorway and stood there 
listening down the gulch until ,casey   

came up1 walking from the shed4  ',tis a
 good thing yuh left this other car     
standin' here cold an' peaceful1 ,mr4   
,nolan1 ,casey1 observed1 after he also 
had stood for a minute listening4  ,if  
they're follerin' they'll be here darn' 
soon4 ,if they ain't ,i've ditched 'em4 
,let's git t' bed an' ,i'll tell yuh my 
tale uh woe4  ,without a word ,nolan led
 the way into the cabin4  ,in the dark  
they undressed and got into the bed     
which was luckily wide enough for two4  
,had your supper8 ,nolan asked belatedly
 when they were settled4  ,i did not1   
,casey grunted4  ,i will say1 ,mr4      
,nolan1 there's few times in my life    
when you'd see ,casey ,ryan missin' 'is 
supper whilst layin' tracks away from a 
fight4  ,but if it was light enough you 
could gaze upon 'im now4  ,and ,i must  
hand it t' the ,gallopin' ,gussie yuh   
give me the loan of fer the trip4  ,she 
brung me home ahead of the sheriff--and 
you can ask anybody if ,casey ,ryan     
himself can't be proud uh that6  ,the   

sheriff8 ,nolan's voice was puzzled4    
,he seemed to be considering something  
for a minute1 before he spoke again4    
,you could have explained to the        
sheriff1 couldn't you1 your reason for  
having booze in the car8  ,casey raised 
to one elbow4  ,when yuh told ,casey    
,ryan 'twas not many men you'd trust1   
and that you trusted me an' the business
 was t' be secret--,mr4 ,nolan1 you 'was
 talkin' t' ,,casey ,,ryan6 ,he lay down
 again as if that precluded further     
argument4  ,good6 ,i thought ,i hadn't  
made a mistake in my man1 ,nolan        
approved1 in a tone that gave ,casey an 
inner glow of pride in himself4  ,let's 
have the story1 old man4  ,did you see  
,bill ,masters8  ,bill ,masters1 said   
,casey grimly1 was not in ,lund4  ,his  
garage is sold an' ,bill's in           
,denver--which is a long drive for a    
,ford t' git there an' back before      
,friday midnight4  ,yuh put a time limit
 me1 ,mr4 ,nolan1 an' nobody had ,bill's
 address4  ,i didn't foller ,bill t'    

,denver4 ,i asked some others in ,lund  
if they knowed a man named ,kenner1 and 
they did not4  ,so then ,i went huntin' 
booze that ,i could git without the hull
 of ,nevada knowin' it in fifteen       
minutes4  ,an' ,casey's got this t' say3
 ,when yuh ,,want hootch1 it's hard t'  
find as free gold in granite4 ,when yuh 
,,don',t want it1 it's forced on yuh at 
the point of a gun4  ,this jug ,i       
stole--seein' your business is private1 
,mr4 ,nolan4  ,i grabbed it off some    
fellers ,i knowed in ,lund an' never had
 no use for1 anyway4  ,they're mean     
enough when they're sober1 an' when     
they're jagged they're not t' be        
mentioned on a ,sunday4  ,i mighta paid 
'em for it1 but money's no good t' them 
fellers an' there's no call t' waste it4
  ,so they made a holler and ,i sets the
 jug down an' licks them both1 an' comes
 along home mindin' my own business4    
,so ,i guess they 'phoned the sheriff in
 ,vegas that here comes a bootlegger and
 land 'im quick4  ,anyway1 ,i was goin' 

t' stop there an' take on a beefsteak   
an' a few cups uh coffee1 but ,i never  
done it4  ,i was slowin' down in front  
uh ,sam's ,place when a friend uh mine  
gives me the high sign t' put 'er in    
high an' keep 'er goin'4 ,which ,i done4
  ,down by ,ladd's1 ,casey looks back   
an' here comes the sheriff's car hell   
bent fer 'lection 7anyway it looked like
 the sheriff's car74 ,an' ,i wanta say  
right here1 ,mr4 ,nolan1 that's a darn' 
good ,ford yuh got6  ,i was follered1   
and ',i was follered hard4  ,but ,i'm   
here an' they' ain't--an' you can ask   
anybody if that didn't take some going'6
  ,in the darkness of the cabin ,casey  
turned over and heaved a great sigh4 ,on
 the heels of that came a chuckle4  ,i  
got t' hand it t' the ,l4 ,a4 traffic   
cops1 ,mr4 ,nolan4  ,they shore learned 
me a lot about dodgin'4  ,so now yuh got
 the hull story4 ,if it was the sheriff 
behind me an' if he trails me here1 they
 got no evidence an' you can mebby      
square it with 'im4  ,you'd know what t'

 tell 'im--which is more'n what ,casey  
,ryan can say4  ,casey fell asleep      
immediately afterward1 but ,mack ,nolan 
lay for a long while with his eyes wide 
open and his ears alert for strange     
sounds in the gulch4  ,he was a new man 
in this district1 working independently 
of sheriff's offices4  ,casey ,ryan was 
the first man he had confided in2 all   
others were fair game for ,nolan to     
prove honest or dishonest with the      
government4  ,the very nature of his    
business made it so4  ,for when whisky  
runners drove openly in broad daylight  
through the country with their unlawful 
loads1 somewhere along the line officers
 of the law were sharing the profits4   
,nolan knew none of them1--by sight4    
,if he carried the records of some      
safely memorized and pigeonholed for    
future use1 that was his own business4  
,mack ,nolan's thoughts were his own and
 he guarded them jealously and slept    
with his lips tightly closed4 ,he wanted
 no sheriff coming to him for           

explanation of his movements4 ,wherefore
 he listened long1 and when he slept his
 slumber was light4  ,at daylight he was
 up and abroad4  ,two hours after       
sunrise ,casey awoke with the smell of  
breakfast in his nostrils4  ,he rolled  
over and blinked at ,mack ,nolan        
standing with his hat on the back of his
 head and a cigarette between his lips1 
calmly turning three hot-cakes with a   
kitchen knife4  ,casey grinned          
condescendingly4  ,he himself turned his
 cakes by the simple process of tossing 
them in the air a certain kind of flip1 
and catching them dexterously as they   
came down4  ,right there he decided that
 ,mack ,nolan was not after all a real  
outdoors man4  ,well1 the sheriff didn't
 arrive last night1 ,nolan observed     
cheerfully1 when he saw that ,casey was 
awake4  ,i don't much look for him1     
either4  ,your driving on past the turn 
to ,juniper ,wells and coming up that   
other old road very likely threw him off
 the track4  ,you must have been close  

to the ,state line then and he gave you 
up as a bad job4  ,it was a ,,good job6 
,casey maintained reaching for his      
clothes4 ,i made 'em think ,i was headed
 clean outa the country4  ,if they      
knowed who it was at all1 they'd know ,i
 belong in ,l4 ,a41 and ,i figured      
they'd guess ,i was headed there4  ,they
 stopped for something this side of     
,searchlight an' so ,i pulls away from  
'em a couple of miles4  ,they never seen
 where ,i went to4  ,while he washed for
 breakfast1 ,casey began to take stock  
of certain minor injuries4  ,that darned
 ,pete ,gibson has got tushes in his    
mouth like a wild hawg2 the kind that   
sticks out1 he grumbled1 touching       
certain skinned places on his knuckles4 
,every time ,i landed on 'im yesterday  
,i run against them tushes uh his'n4    
,but he added with a grin1 ,they ain't  
so solid as they was when ,i met up with
 'im4 ,i felt one of 'em give 'fore ,i  
got through4  ,brings the price of      
moonshine up a bit1 doesn't it8  ,nolan 

suggested drily4  ,i rather think you   
might better have paid the men their    
price4 ,a fight is well enough in its   
way--,i'm ,irish myself4  ,but as my    
agent1 ,ryan1 the main idea is to let   
the law fight for you4  ,our work is    
merely to give the law a chance4  ,i    
like your not wanting to explain to the 
sheriff4  ,prohibition officers do not  
explain1 as a rule4 ,the law behind them
 does that4  ,and since the price seems 
to be rather hard on the knuckles-- ,he 
glanced down at ,casey's hands and      
grinned4  --,i think it may come cheaper
 to make the stuff ourselves4  ,licking 
two men for three gallons1 and getting  
the officers at your tail light into the
 bargain1 is all right as an experiment2
 but ,i don't believe1 ,ryan1 we ought  
to adopt that as a habit4  ,casey cocked
 an eye up at him4  ,did yuh ever make  
,white ,mule1 ,mr4 ,nolan8 he asked     
grimly4  ,nolan laughed his easy little 
chuckle4 ,why1 no1 ,ryan1 ,i never did4 
,did you8  ,naw4  ,i seen some made     

once1 but ,i had too much of it inside  
me at the time to learn the receipt for 
it4  ,i'd rather steal it1 if it's all  
the same to you1 ,mr4 ,nolan4  ,his hand
 went up to the back of his head and    
moved forward1 although there was no hat
 to push4 ,i've lived honest all these  
years--an'1 dammit1 it's kinda tough to 
break out with stealin ,i what yuh don't
 want6  ,couldn't we fill them bottles  
with somethin' that ,,looks like hootch8
  ,cold tea should get by1 ,mr4 ,nolan4 
,it'd be a fine joke on ,smilin' ,lou4  
,a good joke1 maybe--but no evidence4   
,it isn't against the law1 ,ryan1 to    
have cold tea in your possession4  ,no1 
it's got to be whisky1 and there's got  
to be a load of it4  ,enough to look    
like business and tempt him or any other
 member of the gang you happen to meet4 
,if they caught you with three gallons1 
,casey1 they'd probably run you in and  
feel very virtuous about it4  ,nothing  
for it1 ,i'm afraid4  ,we'll have to    
become real moonshiners ourselves for   

awhile4  ,casey ate with less appetite  
after that4  ,making moonshine did not  
appeal to him at all4  ,given his       
choice1 ,i think he would even prefer   
drinking it1 unhappy as the effect had  
been on him4  ,we'll need a still1 and  
we'll need the stuff4  ,i'm going to    
leave you in charge of the camp1 ,ryan1 
while ,i make a trip to ,needles4 ,i'll 
deputize you to assist me in cleaning up
 this district4 ,and this district1     
,ryan1 touches salt water4  ,so if      
revenge looks good to you1 you'll have a
 fine chance to get even with the       
bootleggers4  ,and in the meantime1 just
 kill time around camp here while ,i'm  
gone4  ,if any one shows up1 you're     
prospecting4  ,that day1 doubt-devils   
took hold of ,casey ,ryan and plucked at
 his belief4  ,how did he know that     
,mack ,nolan wasn't another bootlegger1 
wanting to rope ,casey in on a job for  
some fell purpose of his own8  ,he had  
,mack ,nolan's word and nothing more4   
,for that matter1 he had also had young 

,kenner's word4  ,kenner had fooled him 
completely4  ,mack ,nolan could also    
fool him--perhaps4  ,well1 anyhow1 he   
never claimed to know ,bill ,masters1   
and that's a point in 'is favor4  ,and  
if it's some dirty work he's up to1 he  
coulda made it shorter than what he's   
doin'4  ,an' if he's double-crossin'    
,casey ,ryan--well1 anyway1 ,casey ,ryan
 'll be present at the time an' place   
when he does it6  ,upon that comforting 
thought1 ,casey decided to trust ,mack  
,nolan until he caught him playing      
crooked2 and proceeded to kill time as  
best he could4    ,,chapter ,,eighteen  
,it was noon the next day when ,nolan   
returned1 and he did not explain why he 
was eighteen hours overdue4  ,casey eyed
 him expectantly1 but ,nolan's manner   
was brisk and preoccupied4  ,help me    
unload this stuff1 ,ryan1 he said1 and  
put it out of sight in the cellar4  ,we 
won't have to go through the process of 
making moonshine1 after all4  ,casey    
looked into the car1 pulling aside the  

tarp4  ,four kegs he counted1 and lifted
 out one4  ,an' how many did ,,you lick1
 ,mr4 ,nolan8 he grinned over his       
shoulder as he started for the door4    
,nolan laughed noncommittally4  ,perhaps
 ,i'm luckier at picking my bootleggers1
 he retorted4 ,if you carry the right   
brand of bluff1 you can keep the skin on
 your knuckles1 ,ryan4  ,this beats     
making it1 at any rate4  ,that afternoon
 and the next day1 ,casey ,ryan did what
 he never dreamed was possible4  ,with  
,mack ,nolan to show him how1 ,casey    
performed miracles4  ,while he did not1 
literally change water into wine1 he did
 give forty-three gallons of ,white     
,mule a most imposing pedigree4  ,he    
turned kegs of crude1 moonshine whisky  
into ,canadian ,club1 ,garnkirk1 ,tom   
,pepper1 ,three ,star ,hennessey and    
,cognac--if you were to believe the     
bottles1 labels and government seals4   
,under ,mack ,nolan's instruction and   
with his expert assistance1 the forgery 
was perfect4  ,while the cellar reeked  

with the odor of ,white ,mule when they 
had finished1 the bottled array on the  
table whispered of sybaritic revelings  
to glisten the eyes of the most         
dissipated man about town4  ,when it's  
as easy done as that1 ,mr4 ,nolan1 the  
feller's a fool that drinks it4  ,you've
 learnt ,casey ,ryan somethin' that     
mighta done 'im some good a few years   
back4  ,he picked up a flat1 pint bottle
 and caressed its label with reminiscent
 finger tips4  ,many's the time me an'  
old ,tommy ,pepper drove stage together1
 he mused4  ,throwed 'im at a bear once 
that ,i met in the trail over in        
,colorado when ,i hadn't no gun on me4  
,busted a pint on his nose--man6 ,then  
,i never waited to see what happened4 ,i
 was a wild divil them days when me an' 
,tommy ,pepper was side pardners4 ,but a
 yaller snake with a green head crawled 
out of a bottle of 'im once--and that   
there was where ,casey ,ryan says       
good-by to booze4 ,if ,i hadn't quit 'im
 then1 ,i'd sure as hell quit 'im now4  

,after this performance1 ,mr4 ,nolan1   
,casey ,ryan's goin' to look twice into 
his coffee pot4  ,i wouldn't believe in 
cow's milk1 if ,i done the milkin'      
myself6  ,most of the stuff that's      
peddled nowadays is doctored1  ,nolan   
replied1 with the air of one who knows4 
,when it isn't ,white ,mule1 it's likely
 to be something worse4  ,that's one of 
the chief reasons why ,i'm fighting it4 
,if they only peddled decent whisky it  
wouldn't be so bad1 ,ryan4  ,but it's   
rank poison4  ,i've seen so many go     
stone blind--or die--that it makes me   
pretty savage sometimes4  ,so now ,i'll 
coach you in the part you're to play as 
hootch runner2 and to-morrow you can    
start for ,los ,angeles4  ,casey did not
 answer4  ,he felt absently for his     
pipe1 filled and lighted it and went out
 to sit on the doorstep in gloomy       
meditation while he smoked4  ,returning 
to ,los ,angeles1 even without a        
bootlegger's load1 was not a matter     
which ,casey liked to contemplate4  ,he 

would have to face the ,little ,woman if
 he went back2 either as a deliberate   
liar1 who lied to his wife to gain the  
freedom he might have had without       
resorting to deceit1 or as the victim   
once more of crooks4  ,casey thought he 
would prefer the accusation of lying    
deliberately to the ,little ,woman1     
though it made him squirm to think of   
it4  ,he wished she had not openly      
taunted him with getting into trouble   
and needing her always to get him out4  
,he would like to tell her that he was  
now working for the government4 ,the    
secrecy of his mission1 the danger it   
involved1 would impress even her amused 
cynicism4  ,but the very secrecy of his 
mission in itself made it impossible for
 him to tell her anything about it4     
,casey would not admit it1 but it was a 
real disappointment to him that he could
 not wear a star on his coat4  ,all that
 day and evening he was glum1 a strange 
mood for ,casey ,ryan4 ,but if ,mack    
,nolan noticed his silence1 he gave no  

sign4 ,nolan himself was wholly absorbed
 by the business in hand4  ,the success 
of this plan meant a good deal to him1  
and he told ,casey so very frankly2     
which lightened ,casey's gloom          
perceptibly4  ,casey was to drive to    
,los ,angeles--even to ,san ,diego if   
necessary--and return within a week1    
unless ,nolan's hopes were fulfilled and
 ,casey was held up and highjacked4  ,if
 he were apprehended by officers who    
were honestly discharging their duty1   
,casey was to do thus-and-so1 and       
presently be free to drive on with his  
load4  ,if he were highjacked 7,casey   
gritted his teeth and said he hoped the 
highjacker would be ,smiling ,lou71 he  
was to permit himself to be robbed1 worm
 himself as far as possible into their  
confidence and return for further       
orders4  ,if ,mack ,nolan should chance 
to be absent from the cabin1 then ,casey
 was to wait until he returned4  ,and   
,nolan intimated that hereafter the     
making of moonshine might be a part of  

,casey's duties4 ,then1 without warning1
 ,mack ,nolan struck at the heart of    
,casey's worry4  ,i don't want to       
dictate to any man in family affairs1   
,ryan4 ,but ,i've got to speak of one   
other matter1 he said diffidently4 ,i   
suppose naturally you'll want to go home
 and let your wife know you're still    
alive1 anyway4  ,but if you can manage  
to keep your present business a secret  
for the time being1 ,i think you'd      
better do it4  ,you said you were       
planning to be away on a trip for some  
time1 ,i remember4  ,if you can just let
 it go that way1 or say that you are    
prospecting over here1 ,i wish you      
would4 ,think you can manage that all   
right8  ,i'd rather manage a six-horse  
team of bronk mules1 ,casey admitted4   
,but after the way the missus thinks ,i 
lied to 'er about takin' the next train 
home from ,barstow1 anything ,i say 'll 
be used agin' me4 ,my wife's got brains4
  ,she ain't put it down that the trains
 have quit runnin'4  ,accordin' to her  

figures1 ,casey's lied and he's in a    
hole again1 an' it'll be up to her an'  
,jack to run windlass an' pull 'im out4 
,don't matter what ,i say she won't     
believe me anyhow--so ,casey won't say  
nothin'4  ,can't lie with your mouth    
shut1 can yuh8  ,oh1 yes1 it's been     
done1 ,mack ,nolan chuckled4  ,now we'll
 set down the serial numbers and the    
bank name of this 'jack'1--and here's   
your expense money separate4  ,and if   
there's anything that isn't clear to    
you1 ,ryan1 speak up4  ,you won't hear  
from me again1 probably1 until you're   
back from this fishing trip4  ,casey    
thought that everything was perfectly   
clear1 and rashly he said so1 as he     
started off4  ,from ,barstow to         
,victorville1 from ,victorville to ,camp
 ,cajon ,casey drove expectantly1 hoping
 to meet ,smiling ,lou4  ,he scanned    
each car that approached and slowed for 
every meeting like a searching party or 
a man who is lost and wishes to inquire 
the way4  ,his pace would have been     

law-abiding in ,los ,angeles at five    
o'clock on ,broadway between ,fourth and
 ,eighth streets4  ,goggled women       
tourists eyed him curiously1 and one car
 stopped full to see what he wanted4    
,but his ,tom ,pepper rode safe under   
the tarp behind him1 and the ,three     
,star ,hennessey beaded daintily with   
the joggling it got1 and ,casey was     
neither halted nor questioned as he     
passed4  ,at ,camp ,cajon ,casey stopped
 and cooked an early supper1 because the
 summer crowd was there and a real      
bootlegger would have considered        
stopping rather unsafe4  ,casey boiled  
coffee over one of the camp fireplaces  
and watched furtively the sunburned     
holiday group nearest4 ,he placed his   
supper on one of the round1 cement      
tables near the car1 and every man who  
passed that way ,casey watched          
unblinkingly while he ate4  ,he         
succeeded in making three different     
parties swallow their supper in a hurry 
and pack up and leave1 glancing back    

uneasily at ,casey as they drove away4  
,but ,casey himself was unmolested1 and 
no one asked about his load4  ,from     
,camp ,cajon to ,san ,bernardino ,casey 
drove furiously1 remembering young      
,kenner's desire for speed4  ,he stopped
 there for the night1 and nearly had a  
fight with the garage man where he put  
up1 because he showed undue caution     
concerning the safety of his car from   
prowlers during the night4  ,he left the
 car there that day and returned        
furtively after dark1 asking the night  
man if he had seen any saps around his  
car4 ,the night man looked at him       
uncomprehendingly4  ,i dunno--nothin's  
been picked up since ,i come on at six4 
,we ain't responsible for lost articles1
 anyway4  ,see that sign8  ,casey       
grunted1 cranked up and drove away1     
wondering whether the night man was as  
innocent as he tried to act4  ,from ,san
 ,bernardino to ,los ,angeles ,casey    
drove placidly as a load of oranges in  
,february4  ,he put up at a cheap place 

on ,san ,pedro ,street1 with his car in 
the garage next door and a five-dollar  
tip in the palm of a rat-faced mechanic 
with ,casey's injunction to clean 'er   
dingbats and keep other people away4    
,he did not go out to see the ,little   
,woman1 after all4  ,he had sent her a  
wire from ,goffs the day before1 saying 
that he was prospecting with a fellow   
and he hoped she was well4  ,this1 after
 long pondering1 had seemed to him the  
easiest way out of an argument with the 
,little ,woman4 ,the wire had given no  
address whereby she might reach him1 but
 the omission was not the oversight     
,casey hoped she would consider it4  ,he
 wanted to be reassuring without        
starting anything4  ,los ,angeles with  
no ,little ,woman at his elbow was a    
dismal hole1 and ,casey got out of it as
 soon as possible4  ,as per             
instructions1 he drove down to ,san     
,diego1 ventured perilously close to the
 ,mexico line1 fooled around there for a
 day looking for trouble1 failed to find

 so much as a frown and drove back4  ,he
 headed straight for ,san ,bernardino1  
which was ,smiling ,lou's headquarters4 
,he killed time there and met the       
sheriff on the street the day he        
arrived4  ,the sheriff had a memory     
trained to hold faces indefinitely4  ,he
 smiled a little1 made a polite gesture 
in the general direction of his hat and 
passed on4  ,casey swore to himself and 
resolved to duck guiltily around the    
nearest corner if he saw the sheriff    
coming his way again4  ,on the day when 
his time limit expired ,casey drove up  
the gulch to ,nolan's camp4  ,in the car
 behind him rode undisturbed his        
,canadian ,club1 ,garnkirk1 ,three-,star
 ,hennessey1 ,cognac and ,tom ,pepper2  
bottles1 labels1 government seals and   
all4  ,nolan was walking over from the  
tunnel when ,casey arrived4  ,he smiled 
inquiringly as he shook hands1--a       
ceremony to which ,casey was plainly    
unaccustomed4  ,what luck1 ,ryan8  ,i   
beat you back by about two hours4       

,getting things ready to begin making   
it4 ,did they catch you all right8      
,naw6 ,casey spat disgustedly4  ,never  
seen a booze peddler1 never seen a cop  
look my way4  ,i went around actin' like
 ,i just killed a man an' stole a lady's
 diamonds1 and the sheriff at ,san      
,berdoo ,,tips ',,is ,,hat ,,to ,,me1 by
 golly6  ,drove through ,l4 ,a4         
hella-whoopin' an' not a darned traffic 
cop knowed it was ,casey ,ryan4  ,you   
can ask anybody if ,i didn't do every   
thing possible to git in bad or give    
bootleggers a tip ,i was one of 'em4    
,you can't git ,casey ,ryan up agin' the
 gang you're after1 ,mr4 ,nolan4 ,only  
way ,casey ,ryan can git up agin' the   
law is to go along peaceable tryin' to  
please the missus an' mindin' his own   
business4  ,i coulda peddled that damn' 
hootch on a hangin' tray like circus    
lemonade4 ,i coulda stood on the corner 
in any uh them damned towns with the    
hull works piled out on a table in front
 of me1 an' ,i coulda hollered my damn' 

head off2 an' ,smilin' ,lou woulda      
passed me by like ,i was sellin' chewin'
 gum and shoe strings4  ,mack ,nolan    
looked at ,casey1 turned and went into  
the cabin1 sat down on the edge of the  
bed and laughed until the tears dripped 
over his lashes4  ,casey ,ryan followed 
him1 and sat on the edge of the table   
with his arms folded4  ,whenever ,mack  
,nolan lifted his face from his palms   
and looked at ,casey1 ,casey swore4     
,whereat ,mack ,nolan would give another
 whoop4  ,you can't wonder if relations 
were somewhat strained1 between them for
 the rest of that day4    ,,chapter     
,,nineteen  ,nature had made ,casey     
,ryan an optimist4  ,the blood of       
,ireland had made him pugnacious4  ,and 
,mack ,nolan had a way with him4        
,wherefore1 ,casey ,ryan once more came 
larruping down the grade to ,camp ,cajon
 and turned in there with a dogged      
purpose in his eyes and with his jaw set
 stubbornly4  ,history has it that      
whenever ,casey ,ryan gets that look in 

his face1 the man underneath might just 
as well holler and crawl out2 because   
holler he must1 before ,casey would ever
 let him up4  ,behind him1 stowed under 
the bedding1 grub and camp dishes1 rode 
his eight cases of bootlegger's bait1   
packed convincingly in the sawdust1     
straw and cardboard of the wet old days 
when ,uncle ,sam himself ,o4 ,k4'd the  
job4  ,a chain of tiny beads at the top 
of each bottle lied and said it was good
 liquor4  ,the boxes themselves said1   
,this side up--when any side up would   
thrill the soul of the man who owned a  
wet appetite and a dry throat4  ,it was 
a good job ,mack ,nolan had made of the 
bottling4  ,uncle ,sam himself must     
needs polish his spectacles and take    
another look to detect the fraud4  ,it  
was a marvelous job of bottling1--and   
the proof lay only in the drinking4     
,tommy ,pepper rode in pint flasks      
designed to slip safely into a man's    
coat pocket4  ,beside him two cases of  
,canadian ,club 7if you were satisfied  

with the evidence of your eyes7 sat     
serene in round-shouldered              
bottles--conventional1 secure in its    
reputation4  ,cognac and ,garnkirk1 a   
case for each1 rode in tall1 slim       
bottles with no shoulders at all4       
,plumper than they1 ,three ,star        
,hennessey sat smugly waiting until the 
joke was turned upon its victim4 ,a     
tempting load it was1 to men of certain 
minds and morals4  ,casey grinned       
sardonically when he thought of it4     
,casey drove deep into the grove of     
sycamores and made camp there1 away from
 the chattering picnic parties at the   
cement tables4 ,by ,mack ,nolan's advice
 he was adopting a slightly different   
policy4 ,he no longer shunned his fellow
 men or glared suspiciously when        
strangers approached4  ,instead he was  
very nearly the old ,casey ,ryan1 except
 that he failed to state his name and   
business to all and sundry with the old 
,casey ,ryan candor1 but instead avoided
 the subject altogether or evaded       

questions with vague generalities4  ,but
 as an understudy for ,ananias1 ,casey  
,ryan would have been a failure4 ,in two
 hours or less he had made easy trail   
acquaintance with six different men1 and
 he had unconsciously managed to vary   
his vague account of himself six        
different times4  ,wherefore he was     
presently asked cautiously concerning   
his thirst4  ,they's times1 said ,casey1
 hopefully lowering an eyelid1 when a   
feller dassent take a nip1 no matter how
 thirsty he gits4  ,the questioner      
stared at him for a minute and slowly   
nodded4 ,you're darn' right1 he         
assented4  ,i scursely ever touch       
anything1 myself4 ,and he added vaguely1
 ,quite a lot of it peddled out here in 
this camp1 ,i guess4  ,tourists comin'  
through are scared to pack it           
themselves--but they sure don't overlook
 any chances to take a snort4  ,yeah8   
,casey cocked a knowing eye at the      
speaker4  ,they must pay a pretty fair  
price fer it1 too4  ,don't the cops     

bother folks none8  ,some--,i guess4    
,casey filled his pipe and offered his  
tobacco sack to the man4 ,the fellow    
took it1 nodding listless thanks1 and   
filled his own pipe4 ,the two sat down  
together on the knee of a deformed      
sycamore and smoked in circumspect      
silence4  ,arizona1 ,i see4  ,the man   
nodded toward the license plates on     
,casey's car4  ,uh-huh4  ,casey glanced 
that way4  ,know a man name of ,kenner8 
,he asked abruptly4  ,the fellow looked 
at ,casey sidelong1 without turning his 
head4  ,some4 ,do you8  ,some4  ,casey  
felt that he was making headway1 though 
it was a good deal like playing checkers
 with the king row wide open and only   
two crowned heads to defend his men4    
,friend uh yours8  ,the fellow turned   
his head and looked straight at ,casey4 
,casey returned him a pale1             
straight-lidded stare4  ,the man's      
glance flickered and swung away4  ,who  
wants to know8  ,casey asked calmly4    
,oh1 you can call me ,jim ,cassidy4  ,i 

just asked4  ,he removed his pipe from  
his mouth and inspected it              
apathetically4  ,he's a friend of ,bill 
,masters1 garage man up at ,lund4  ,know
 ,bill8  ,any man says ,i don't1 you can
 call 'im a liar4  ,casey also inspected
 his pipe4  ,bought that car off'n      
,kenner1  ,casey added boldly4 ,getting 
into trouble1 he discovered1 carried    
almost the thrill of trying to keep out 
of it4  ,yeah8  ,the self-styled ,jim   
,cassidy looked at the ,ford more       
attentively4  ,and contents8  ,casey    
snorted4  ,what do you know about goats1
 if anything8 he asked mysteriously4    
,jim ,cassidy eyed ,casey sidelong      
through a silence4  ,then he brought his
 palm down flat on his thigh and        
laughed4  ,you pass1 he stated1 with a  
relieved sigh4 ,he's a dinger1 ain't he8
  ,you know 'im1 all right4 ,casey also 
laughed and put out his hand4 ,if you're
 a friend of ,kenner's1 shake hands with
 ,casey ,ryan6  ,he's damned glad to    
meet yuh--an' you can ask anybody if    

that ain't the truth4  ,after that the  
acquaintance progressed more smoothly4  
,by the time ,casey spread his bed close
 alongside the car--he knew just how    
much booze ,jim ,cassidy carried1 just  
what ,cassidy expected to make off the  
load1 and a good many other bits of     
information of no particular use to     
,casey4  ,a strange1 inner excitement   
held ,casey awake long after ,jim       
,cassidy was asleep snoring4  ,he lay   
looking up into the leafy branches of   
the sycamore beside him and watched a   
star slip slowly across an open space   
between the branches4  ,farther up the  
grove a hilarious group of young hikers 
sang snatches of songs to the uncertain 
accompaniment of a ukelele4  ,a hundred 
feet away on his right1 occasional cars 
went coasting past on the down grade1   
coming in off the desert1 or climbed    
more slowly with motors working1 on     
their way up from the valley below4 ,the
 shifting brilliance from their         
headlights flicked the grove            

capriciously as they went by4 ,now and  
then a car stopped4  ,one1 a big1       
high-powered car with one dazzling      
spotlight swung into the narrow driveway
 and entered the grove4  ,casey lifted  
his head like a desert turtle and       
blinked curiously at the car as it eased
 past him a few feet and stopped4  ,a   
gloved hand went out to the spotlight   
and turned it slowly1 lighting the grove
 foot by foot and pausing to dwell upon 
each silent1 parked car4 ,casey sat up  
in the blankets and waited4  ,luck1 he  
told himself1 was grinning at him from  
ear to ear4  ,for this was ,smiling ,lou
 himself1 and none other4  ,he was      
alone1--a big1 hungry1 official fish    
searching the grove greedily4  ,casey   
swallowed a grin and tried to look      
scared4  ,the light was slowly working  
around in his direction4  ,i don't      
suppose ,casey ,ryan had ever looked    
really scared in his life4 ,his face    
simply refused to wear so foreign an    
expression4 ,therefore1 when the        

spotlight finally revealed him1 ,casey  
blinked against it with a half-hearted  
grin1 as if he had been caught at       
something foolish4 ,the light remained  
upon him1 and ,smiling ,lou got out of  
the car and came back to him slowly4    
,not even ,casey thought of calling     
,smiling ,lou a fool4  ,he couldn't be  
and play the game he was playing4       
,smiling ,lou said nothing whatever     
until he had looked the car over        
carefully 7giving the license number a  
second sharp glance7 and had regarded   
,casey fixedly while he made up his     
mind4  ,hullo6  ,where's your pardner8  
he demanded then4  ,i'm in pardnerships 
with myself this trip1 ,casey retorted4 
,he waited while ,smiling ,lou looked   
him over again1 more carefully this     
time4  ,where did you get that car8     
,from ,kenner--for sixteen-hundred and  
seventeen dollars and five cents4       
,casey fumbled in the blankets--,smiling
 ,lou following his movements           
suspiciously--and got out the makings of

 a cigarette4  ,got any booze in that   
car8  ,smiling ,lou might have been a   
traffic cop1 for all the trace of       
humanity there was in his voice4  ,casey
 cocked an eye up at him1 sent a quick  
glance toward the ,ford1 and looked back
 into ,smiling ,lou's face4  ,he hunched
 his shoulders and finished the making  
of his cigarette4  ,i wisht you wouldn't
 look1 he said glumly4  ,i got half my  
outfit in there an' ,i hate to have it  
tore up4  ,smiling ,lou continued to    
look at him1 seeming slightly puzzled4  
,but indecision was not one of his      
characteristics1 evidently4 ,he stepped 
up to the car1 pulled a flashlight from 
his pocket and looked in4  ,casey was up
 and into his clothes by the time       
,smiling ,lou had uncovered a box or    
two4  ,smiling ,lou turned toward him1  
his lips twitching4  ,lift this stuff   
out of here and put it in my car1 he    
commanded1 elation creeping into his    
voice in spite of himself4  ,my ,lord6  
,the chances you fellows take6  ,think a

 dab of paint is going to cover up a    
brand burnt into the wood8  ,casey      
looked startled1 glancing down into the 
car to where ,smiling ,lou pointed4     
,the boards is turned over on all the   
rest1 he muttered confidentially4  ,i   
dunno how that darned ,canadian ,club   
sign got right side up4  ,what all have 
you got8  ,smiling ,lou lowered his     
voice when he asked the question4       
,casey tried not to grin when he        
replied4 ,smiling ,lou gasped1  ,well1  
get it into my car1 and make it snappy4 
,casey made it as snappy as he could1   
and kept his face straight until        
,smiling ,lou spoke to him sharply4  ,i 
won't take you in to-night with me4  ,i 
want that car4  ,you drive it into      
headquarters first thing in the morning4
  ,and don't think you can beat it1     
either4  ,i'll have the road posted4    
,you can knock a good deal off your     
sentence if you crank up and come in    
right after breakfast4 ,and make it an  
early breakfast1 too4  ,his manner was  

stern1 his voice perfectly official4    
,but ,casey1 eyeing him grimly1 saw     
distinctly the left eyelid lower and    
lift again4  ,all right--,i'm the goat1 
he surrendered and sat down again on his
 canvas-covered bed4  ,he did not       
immediately crawl between the blankets1 
however1 because interesting things were
 happening over at ,jim ,cassidy's car4 
,casey watched ,jim ,cassidy go picking 
his way amongst the tree roots and camp 
litter1 his back straightened under the 
load of hootch he was carrying to       
,smiling ,lou's car4  ,with ,jim        
,cassidy also1 ,smiling ,lou was crisply
 official4  ,when the last of the hootch
 had been transferred1 ,casey heard     
,smiling ,lou tell ,jim ,cassidy to     
drive in to headquarters after breakfast
 next morning--but he did not see       
,smiling ,lou wink when he said it4     
,after that1 ,smiling ,lou started his  
motor and drove slowly up through the   
grove1 halting to scan each car as he   
passed4  ,he swung out through the upper

 driveway1 turned sharply there and came
 back down the highway speeding up on   
the downhill grade to ,san ,bernardino4 
,jim ,cassidy came furtively over and   
settle down for a whispered conference  
on ,casey's bed4  ,how much did he get  
off'n ,,you8 he asked inquisitively4    
,did he clean yuh out8  ,clean as a last
 year's bone in a kioty den1 ,casey     
declared1 hiding his satisfaction as    
best he could4  ,never got my roll      
though4  ,he wouldn't--not with you     
workin' on the inside4  ,guess it must  
be kinda touchy around here right now4  
,new officers1 mebby4 ,he wouldn't a'   
cleaned us out if we'd a' been safe4    
,he never came into camp before--not    
when ,i've been here4  ,made that same  
play to you1 didn't he--about givin'    
yourself up in the morning8  ,uh course 
yuh know what that means--,,don',t6  ,he
 shore is foxy1 all right1 ,casey       
commented with absolute sincerity4 ,you 
can ask anybody if he didn't pull it off
 like the pleasure was all his'n4  ,no  

,l4 ,a4 traffic cop ever pinched me an  
,i looked like he enjoyed it more4  ,oh1
 ,lou's cute1 all right4  ,they don't   
any of 'em put anything over on ,lou4   
,you must be new at the business1 ain't 
yuh8  ,second trip1 ,casey informed him 
with an air of importance--which he     
really felt1 by the way4  ,what ,casey's
 studyin' on now1 is the next move4  ,no
 use hangin' around here empty4  ,what  
do ,,you figger on doin'8  ,well1 ,lou  
didn't give no tip--not to me1 anyway4  
,so ,i guess it'll be safe to drive on  
in to the city and load up again4  ,i   
got a feller with me--he caught a ride  
in to ,san ,berdoo2 left just before you
 drove in4 ,know where to go in the     
city8  ',cause ,i can ride in with you1 
an' let him foller4  ,that'll suit me   
fine1 ,casey declared4  ,and so they    
left it for the time being1 and ,cassidy
 went back to bed4  ,a great load had   
dropped from ,casey's shoulders1 and he 
was asleep before ,jim ,cassidy had     
ceased to turn restlessly in his        

blankets4 ,getting the ,white ,mule out 
of his car and into the car of ,smiling 
,lou had been the task which ,nolan had 
set for him4 ,what was to happen        
thereafter ,casey could only guess1 for 
,nolan had not told him4 ,and such was  
the ,casey ,ryan nature that he made no 
attempt to solve the problems which     
,mack ,nolan had calmly reserved for    
himself4  ,he did not dream1 for        
instance1 that ,mack ,nolan had watched 
him load the stuff into ,smiling ,lou's 
car4  ,he did know that an unobtrusive  
,cadillac roadster was parked at the    
next campfire4 ,it had come in half an  
hour behind him1 but the driver had not 
made any move toward camping until after
 dark4  ,casey had glanced his way when 
the car was parked and the driver got   
out and began fussing around the car1   
but he had not been struck with any     
sense of familiarity in the figure4     
,there was no reason why he should4     
,thousands and thousands of men are of  
,mack ,nolan's height and general build4

  ,this man looked like a doctor or a   
dentist perhaps4  ,beyond the matter of 
size1 similarity to ,mack ,nolan ceased4
  ,the ,cadillac man wore a vandyke     
beard and colored glasses1 and a panama 
and light gray business suit4  ,casey   
set him down in his mental catalog as   
some town feller and assumed that they  
had nothing in common4  ,yet ,mack      
,nolan heard nearly every word spoken by
 ,smiling ,lou1 ,casey and ,jim         
,cassidy4  7,readers are so inquisitive 
about these things that ,i felt ,i ought
 to tell you--else you'll be worrying as
 hard as ,casey ,ryan did later on4     
,i'm soft-hearted1 myself2 ,i never like
 to worry a reader more than is         
absolutely necessary4 ,so ,i'm letting  
you in1 hoping you'll get an added kick 
out of ,casey's further maneuvers74     
,the ,cadillac car1 ,i should explain1  
was only one of ,mack ,nolan's little   
secrets4  ,there is a very good garage  
at ,goffs1 not many miles from ,juniper 
,wells4  ,a matter of an hour's driving 

was sufficient at any time for ,mack    
,nolan to make the exchange4 ,and no man
 at ,goffs would think it very strange  
that the owner of a ,cadillac should    
prefer to drive a ,ford over rough1     
desert trails to his prospect in the    
mountains4  ,mack ,nolan1 as ,i have    
told you before1 had a way with him4    
,,chapter ,,twenty  ,with a load of     
booze in the car and ,jim ,cassidy by   
his side1 ,casey ,ryan drove down the   
long1 eucalyptus-shaded avenue that runs
 past the balloon school at ,arcadia and
 turned into the ,foothill ,boulevard4  
,half a mile farther on a ,cadillac     
roadster honked and slid past them1     
speeding away toward ,monrovia4  ,but   
,casey ,ryan was busy talking chummily  
with ,jim ,cassidy1 and he scarcely knew
 that a car had passed4  ,the money he  
had been given for ,smiling ,lou had    
been used to pay for this new load of   
whisky1 and ,casey found himself wishing
 that he could get word of it to ,mack  
,nolan4  ,still1 ,nolan's oversight in  

the matter of arranging for             
communication between them did not      
bother ,casey much4 ,he was doing his   
part2 if ,mack ,nolan failed to do his1 
that was no fault of ,casey ,ryan's4    
,at ,fontana1 where young ,kenner had   
stopped for gas on that eventful first  
trip of ,casey's1 ,casey slowed down    
also1 for the same purpose1 half tempted
 to call up the ,little ,woman on long  
distance while the gas tank was being   
filled4  ,but presently the matter went 
clean from his mind--and this was the   
reason3  ,a speed cop whose motorcycle  
stood inconspicuously around the corner 
of the garage1 came forward and eyed the
 ,ford sharply4  ,he drew his little    
book from his pocket1 turned a few      
leaves1 found what he was looking for   
and eyed again the car4  ,the garage    
man1 slowly turning the crank of the    
gasoline pump1 looked at him            
inquiringly2 but the speed cop ignored  
the look and turned to ,casey4  ,where'd
 you get this car8 he demanded1 in much 

the same tone which ,smiling ,lou had   
used the night before4  ,bought it1     
,casey told him gruffly4  ,where did you
 buy it8  ,over at ,goffs1 just this    
side of ,needles4  ,got a bill of sale8 
,you got ,casey ,ryan's word fer it1    
,casey retorted1 with a growing heat    
inside1 where he kept his temper when he
 wasn't using it4  ,are you ,casey      
,ryan8  ,the speed cop's eyes hardened  
just a bit4  ,anybody says ,i ain't1 you
 send 'em to me--an' then come around in
 about ten minutes an' look 'em over4   
,what's ,,your name8  ,the officer      
turned to ,jim ,cassidy4  ,tom ,smith4  
,i was just ketchin' a ride with this   
feller4  ,don't go an' mix ,,me in--,i  
ain't no ways concerned2 just ketchin' a
 ride is all4 ,if ,i'd 'a' knowed--     
,you can explain that to the judge4     
,get in there1 you1 and drive in to ,san
 ,berdoo4  ,i'll be right with you1 so  
you needn't forget the road6 ,he stepped
 back to his motorcycle and pushed it   
forward4  ,hey6  ,don't ,i git paid fer 

my gas8 the garage man wailed1 pulling a
 dripping nozzle from ,casey's gas tank4
  ,aw1 go tahell6 ,casey grunted1 and   
threw a wadded bank note in his         
direction4  ,take that an' shut up4     
,what yuh cryin' around about a gallon  
uh gas1 fer8  ,,you ain't pinched6  ,the
 money landed near the motorcycle and   
the officer picked it up1 smoothed out  
the bill1 glanced at it and looked      
through tightened lids at ,casey4       
,throwin' money around like a           
hootch-runner6 he sneered4  ,i guess you
 birds need lookn' after1 all right4    
,git goin'6  ,casey got going4  ,twice  
on the way in the officer spurted up    
alongside and waved him down for        
speeding4  ,casey had not intended to   
speed1 either4  ,he was merely keeping  
pace unconsciously with his thoughts4   
,he had been told just what he must do  
if he were arrested for bootlegging1 but
 he was not at all certain that his     
instructions would cover an arrest for  
stealing an automobile4  ,nolan had     

forgotten about that1 he guessed4  ,but 
,casey's optimism carried him jauntily  
to jail in ,san ,bernardino1 and while  
he was secretly a bit uneasy1 he was not
 half so worried as ,jim ,cassidy       
appeared to be4  ,casey was             
booked--along with ,tom ,smith--on two  
charges3 theft of one ,ford car1 motor  
number so-and-so1 serial number         
this-and-that1 model1 touring1 year1    
whatever-it-was4  ,and1 unlawful        
transportation of spirituous liquor4    
,he tried to give the judge the wink1   
but without any happy result4  ,so he   
eventually found himself locked in a    
cell with ,jim ,cassidy4  ,just at      
first1 ,casey ,ryan was proud of the    
part he was playing4 ,he could look with
 righteous toleration upon the limpness 
of his fellow prisoner4  ,he could feel 
secure in the knowledge that he1 ,casey 
,ryan1 was an agent of the government   
engaged in helping to uphold the laws of
 his country4  ,he waited for an hour or
 two1 listening with a superior kind of 

patience to ,jim ,cassidy's panicky     
unbraidings of his luck4  ,at first ,jim
 was inclined to blame ,casey rather    
bitterly for the plight he was in4  ,but
 ,casey soon stopped that4  ,young      
,kenner was the  responsible party in   
this mishap1 as ,casey very soon made   
plain to ,jim4  ,well1 ,i dunno but what
 you're right4  ,it ,,was kind of a     
dirty trick--workin' a stole car off    
onto you4  ,why didn't he pick some     
sucker on the outside8  ,don't line up  
with ,kenner1 somehow4 ,well1 ,i guess  
mebby ,smilin' ,lou can see us out uh   
this hole all right--only ,i don't like 
that car-stealin' charge4  ,mebby       
,kenner an' ,lou can straighten it up1  
though4  ,casey wondered if they could4 
,he wondered1 too1 how ,nolan was going 
to find out about ,smiling ,lou getting 
the camouflaged ,white ,mule4 ,nolan had
 not explained that to ,casey--but      
,casey was not worrying yet4  ,his faith
 in ,mack ,nolan was firm4  ,came       
bedtime1 however1 with no sign of       

official favor toward ,casey ,ryan4     
,casey began to wonder4  ,but probably1 
he consoled himself with thinking1 they 
meant to wait until ,jim ,cassidy was   
asleep before they turned ,casey loose4 
,he lay on the hard bunk and waited     
hopefully1 listening to the stertorous  
breathing of ,jim ,cassidy1 who had     
forgotten his troubles in sleep4        
,,chapter ,,twenty-,,one  ,at noon the  
next day ,casey was still waiting--but  
not hopefully4 ,patience on a monument  
couldn't have resembled ,casey ,ryan in 
any particular whatever4  ,he was mad4  
,by midnight he had begun to wonder if  
he was not going to be made a goat      
again4  ,by daylight1 he was positive   
that he was already a goat4  ,by the    
time the trusty brought his breakfast1  
,casey was applying to ,mack ,nolan the 
identical words and phrases which he had
 applied to young ,kenner when he was   
the maddest4 ,don't ask me to tell you  
what they were4  ,jim ,cassidy still    
clung desperately to his faith in       

,smiling ,lou2 but ,casey's faith hadn't
 so much as a finger-hold on anything4  
,what kind of a government was it1 he   
asked himself bitterly1 that would leave
 a trusted agent twenty-four hours shut 
up in a cell with a whining crook like  
,jim ,cassidy8  ,if1 he added           
pessimistically1 he were an agent of the
 government4  ,casey doubted it4  ,so   
far as he could see1 ,casey ,ryan wasn't
 anything but the goat4  ,his chief     
desire now was to get out of there as   
soon as possible so that he could hunt  
up ,mack ,nolan and lick the livin' tar 
wit of him--or worse4  ,he wanted bail  
and he wanted it immediately4 ,not a    
soul bad come near him1 save the trusty1
 in spite of certain mysterious messages
 which ,casey had sent to the office1   
asking for an interview with the judge  
or somebody2 ,casey didn't care who4    
,locked in a cell1 how was he going to  
do any of the things ,nolan had told him
 to do if he happened to find himself   
arrested by an honest officer8  ,when   

they hauled him before the police judge1
 ,casey hadn't been given the chance to 
explain anything to anybody4  ,unless1  
of course1 he wanted to beller out his  
business before everybody2 and that1 he 
told himself fiercely1 was not ,casey   
,ryan's idea of the way to keep a       
secret4  ,moreover1 that damned speed   
cop was standing right there1 just      
waiting for a chance to wind his fingers
 in ,casey's collar and choke him off if
 he tried to say a word4  ,and how the  
hell1 ,casey would like to know1 was a  
man going to explain himself when he    
couldn't get a word in edgeways8  ,so   
,casey wanted bail4  ,there were just   
two ways of getting it1 and it went     
against the grain of his pride to take  
either one4 ,that is why ,casey waited  
until noon before his ,irish            
stubbornness yielded a bit and he       
decided to wire me to come4  ,he had to 
slip the wire out by the underground    
method--meaning the good will of the    
trusty4  ,it cost ,casey ten dollars1   

but he didn't grudge that4  ,he spent   
that afternoon and most of the night    
mentally calling the trusty a liar and a
 thief because there was no reply to the
 message4 ,as a matter of fact1 the     
trusty sent the wire through as quickly 
as possible and the fault was mine if   
any one's4  ,i was too busy hurrying to 
the rescue to think about sending ,casey
 word that ,i was coming4 ,casey said   
afterwards that my thoughtlessness would
 be cured for life if ,i were ever      
locked in jail and waiting for news4    
,as it happened1 ,i wired the ,little   
,woman that ,casey was in jail again1   
and caught the first train to ,san      
,berdoo--coming down by way of ,barstow4
  ,i could save two or three hours that 
way1 ,i found1 so ,i told the ,little   
,woman to meet me there and bring all   
the money she could get her hands on4   
,not knowing just what ,casey was in for
 this time1 it seemed well to be        
prepared for a good1 stiff bail4  ,she  
beat me by several hours1 and between us

 we had ten thousand dollars4  ,at that 
it was a fool's errand4  ,casey was out 
of jail and gone before either of us    
arrived4  ,so there we were1 holding the
 bag1 as you might say1 and our ten     
thousand dollars' bail money4  ,it's no 
use asking questions1 ,jack1 the ,little
 ,woman told me pensively when we had   
finished our salad in the best cafe in  
town1 and were waiting for the fish4    
,i've asked questions of every uniform  
in this town1 from the district judge   
down to the courthouse janitor4 ,nobody 
knows a thing4  ,i ,,did find that      
,casey was booked yesterday for having a
 stolen car and a load of booze in his  
possession1 but he isn't in jail--or if 
he is1 they're keeping him down in some 
dungeon and have thrown away the key4   
,it was hinted in the police court that 
he was dismissed for want of evidence2  
but they wouldn't ,,say anything1 and so
 there you are6  ,we finished our fish  
in a thoughtful silence4  ,then1 when   
the waiter had removed the plates1 the  

,little ,woman looked at me with a      
twinkle in her eyes4  ,well-sir1 there's
 something ,i want to tell you1 ,jack4  
,i believe ,casey has put this town on  
the run4  ,they can't tell ,,me6        
,something's happened1 over around the  
courthouse4  ,a lot of the men ,i talked
 with had a scared look in their eyes1  
and they were nervous when doors opened1
 and looked around when people came     
walking along4  ,i don't know what he's 
been doing--but ,casey ,ryan's been up  
to something4 ,you can't tell ,,me6  ,i 
know how our laundry boy looks when     
,casey's home4  ,and didn't you get any 
line at all on his whereabouts8 ,i asked
 her4 ,given three hours the start of   
me1 ,i knew perfectly well that the     
,little ,woman had found out all there  
was to know about ,casey4               
,well-sir--,i've got this to go on1 the 
,little ,woman drawled and held a       
telegram across the table4  ,you'll     
notice that was sent from ,goffs4 ,it's 
ten days old1 but ,i've been getting    

ready ever since it arrived4 ,i've put  
,babe in a boarding-school1 and ,i      
leased the apartment house4 ,i kept     
three dressmakers ruining their eyes    
with nightwork1 ,jack1 making up some   
nifty sports clothes4  ,if ,casey's     
bound to stay in the desert--well1 ,i'm 
his wife--and ,casey does kind of like  
to have me around4  ,you can't tell     
,,me4  ,so ,i've got the twin-six packed
 with the niftiest camp outfit you ever 
saw1 ,jack4  ,i've got a yellow and red 
beach umbrella1 and two reclining       
chairs1 and--well-sir1 ,i'm going to    
rough it de luxe4  ,i don't expect to   
keep ,casey in hand--,i happen to know  
him4  ,but it's just possible1 ,jack1   
that ,i can keep him in sight6  ,of     
course ,i told her--as ,i've told her   
often enough before--that she was a     
brick4  ,i added that ,i would go along1
 if she liked2 which she did4  ,not even
 the ,little ,woman should ever attempt 
to drive across the ,mojave alone4  ,we 
started out as soon as we had finished  

the meal4  ,a ,cadillac roadster came up
 behind us and honked for clear passing 
as we swung into the long1 straight     
stretch that leads up the ,cajon4 ,the  
,little ,woman peered into the rear     
vision mirror and pressed the toe of her
 white pump upon the accelerator4       
,there's only one man in the world that 
can pass ,,me on the road1 the ,little  
,woman drawled1 and he doesn't wear a   
panama6  ,as we snapped around the turns
 of ,cajon ,grade1 ,i looked back once  
or twice4  ,the ,cadillac roadster was  
still following pertinaciously1 but it  
was too far back to honk at us4  ,when  
we slid down to the ,victorville garage 
and stopped for gas1 the ,cadillac slid 
by4 ,the driver in the panama gave us   
one glance through his colored glasses1 
but ,i felt1 somehow1 that the glance   
was sufficiently comprehensive to fix us
 firmly in his memory4  ,i inquired at  
the garage concerning ,casey ,ryan1     
taking it for granted he would be       
driving a ,ford4  ,a man of that        

description had stopped at the garage   
for gas that forenoon1 the boy told me4 
,about nine o'clock1 ,i learned from    
further questioning4  ,well-sir1 that   
gives him five hours the start1 the     
,little ,woman remarked1 as she eased in
 the clutch and slid around the corner  
into the highway to ,barstow4  ,but you 
can't tell me ,i can't run down a ,ford 
with this car4  ,i know to the last inch
 what a ,jawn ,henry is good for4 ,i    
drove one myself1 remember4  ,now we'll 
see4    ,,chapter ,,twenty-,,two  ,at   
,dagget1 the big1 blue car with a lady  
driver sounded the warning signal and   
passed ,mack ,nolan and the ,cadillac   
roadster4 ,like ,casey ,ryan1 ,nolan is 
rather proud of his driving1 and with   
sufficient reason4 ,he was already      
hurrying1 not to overhaul ,casey1 but to
 arrive soon after him4  ,women drivers 
loved to pass other cars with a sudden  
spurt of speed1 he had found by         
experience4  ,they were not1 however1   
consistently fast drivers4  ,mack ,nolan

 was conscious of a slight irritation   
when the twin-six took the lead4        
,somewhere ahead--probably in one of the
 rough1 sandy stretches--he would either
 have to pass that car or lag behind4   
,your expert driver likes a clear road  
ahead4  ,so ,mack ,nolan drove a bit    
harder1 and succeeded in getting most of
 the dust kicked up by the big1 blue    
car4  ,he counted on passing before they
 reached ,ludlow1 but he could never    
quite make it4 ,in that ungodly stretch 
of sand and rocks and chuck-holes that  
lies between ,ludlow and ,amboy1 ,nolan 
was sure that the woman driver would    
have to slow down4 ,he swore a little1  
too1 because she would probably slow    
down just where passing was impossible4 
,they always did4  ,they went through   
,amboy like one party1 the big1 blue car
 leading by twenty-five yards4  ,it was 
a long drive for a woman to make2 a hard
 drive to boot4  ,he wondered if the two
 in the big car ever ate4  ,five miles  
east of ,amboy1 when a red sunset was   

darkening to starlight1 the blue car1   
fifty yards in the lead1 overhauled a   
,ford in trouble4 ,in the loose1 sandy  
trail the big car slowed and stopped    
abreast of the ,ford4  ,there was no    
passing now1 unless ,mack ,nolan wanted 
to risk smashing his crank-case on a    
lava rock1 millions of which peppered   
that particular portion of the ,mojave  
,desert4  ,he stopped perforce4  ,a pair
 of feet with legs attached to them1    
protruded from beneath the running board
 of the ,ford4  ,the ,little ,woman in  
the big car leaned over the side and    
studied the feet critically4  ,casey    
,ryan1 are those the best pair of shoes 
you own8 she drawled at last4  ,if you  
wouldn't wear such rundown heels1 you   
know1 you wouldn't look so bow-legged4  
,i've told you and ,,told you that your 
legs aren't so bad when you wear        
straight heels4  ,casey ,ryan crawled   
out and looked up at her grinning       
sheepishly4  ,they was all right when ,i
 left home1 ma'am1 he defended his shoes

 mildly4  ,desert plays hell with shoe  
leather--you can ask anybody4 ,then he  
added1 ,hullo1 ,jack6  ,what you two    
think you're doin'1 anyway4 ,tryin' t'  
elope8  ,why1 hello1 ,ryan6  ,mack      
,nolan greeted1 coming up from the      
,cadillac4 ,having trouble with your    
car8  ,casey whirled and eyed ,nolan    
dubiously4  ,naw4  ,this ain't no       
trouble1 he granted4 ,i only been here  
four hours or so--this is pastime6      
,there was an awkward silence4  ,we in  
the blue car wanted to know 7not at that
 time knowing7 who was the man in the   
,cadillac roadster1 and how he happened 
to know ,casey so well4  ,nolan1 no     
doubt1 wanted to know who we were4  ,and
 there was so much that ,casey wanted to
 know and needed to know that he        
couldn't seem to think of anything4     
,however1 ,casey was the hardest to     
down4  ,he came up to the side of the   
blue car1 reached in with his hands all 
greasy black1 and took the ,little      
,woman's hand from the wheel and kissed 

it4  ,the ,little ,woman made a         
caressing sound and leaned out to       
him--and ,nolan and ,i felt that we     
mustn't look4  ,so our eyes met4  ,he   
came around to my side of the car and   
put out his hand4  ,i'm pretty good at  
guessing1 he smiled4  ,i guess you're   
,jack ,gleason4  ,casey has talked of   
you to me4  ,i'm right glad to meet you1
 too4  ,my name is ,mack ,nolan1 and    
,i'm ,irish4  ,i'm ,casey ,ryan's       
partner4 ,we have a good--prospect4     
,casey looked past the ,little ,woman   
and me1 straight into ,mack ,nolan's    
eyes4  ,i felt something of an electric 
quality in the air while their gaze     
held4  ,i'm just getting back from a    
trip down in the valley1 ,nolan observed
 easily4  ,you never did see me in town 
duds1 did you1 ,casey8  ,his eyes went  
to the ,little ,woman's face and then to
 me4 ,i suppose you know what this wild 
,irishman has just pulled off back      
there1 he said1 tilting his head toward 
,san ,bernardino1 many a mile away to   

the southwest4  ,you wouldn't think it  
to look at him1 but he surely has thrown
 a monkey wrench into as pretty a       
bootlegging machine as there is in the  
country4  ,it's such confidential stuff1
 of course1 that you may call it        
absolutely secret4 ,but for once ,i'm   
telling the truth about it4  ,your      
husband1 ,mrs4 ,casey ,ryan1 holds a    
commission from headquarters as a       
prohibition officer4  ,a deputy1 it is  
true1--but commissioned nevertheless4   
,he's just getting back from a very     
pretty piece of work4 ,a crooked officer
 named ,smiling ,lou was arrested last  
night4 ,he had all kinds of liquor      
cached away in his house4  ,casey can   
tell you sometime how he trapped him4   
,of course1 ,i'm just an amateur mining 
expert on a vacation1 myself4 ,his eyes 
met ,casey's straight4  ,i wasn't with  
him when he pulled the deal1 but ,i     
heard about it afterwards1 and ,i knew  
he was planning something of the sort   
when he left camp4  ,how ,i happened to 

know about the commission1 he added1    
reaching into his pocket1 is because he 
left it with me for safe keeping4  ,i'm 
going to let you look at it--just in    
case he's too proud to let it out of his
 hands once ,i give it back4  ,now1 of  
course1 ,i'm talking like an old woman  
and telling all ,casey's secrets--and   
you'll probably see a real ,irish fight 
when he gets in reach of me4  ,but ,i   
knew he hadn't told you exactly what    
he's doing1 and--,i personally feel that
 his wife and his best friend are       
entitled to know as much as his partner 
knows about him4  ,the ,little ,woman   
nodded absently her thanks4  ,she was   
holding ,casey's commission under the   
dash-light to read it4  ,i saw ,casey   
gulp once or twice while he stared      
across the car at ,mack ,nolan4  ,he    
pushed his dusty1 black hat forward over
 one eyebrow and reached into his       
pocket4  ,aw1 hell1 he grunted1 grinning
 queerly4 ,you come around here oncet1  
,mr4 ,nolan1 where ,i can git my hands  

on yuh6