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

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

"How are you?" answered Westerfelt.

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

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

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

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

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

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