Washburn took out the bowl of his lantern and extinguished the light as
they entered the office.

"It makes a man mighty unpopular in the Cohutta Valley to interfere
with the moonshiners," he answered. "Whiskey-makin' is agin the law,
but many a family gits its livin' out o' the stuff, an' a few good
citizens keep the'r eyes shet to it. You see, Mr. Westerfelt, the gang
may be a little down on you anyway sence your difficulty with Wambush.
Did you know that he wus a sort of a ring-leader amongst 'em?"

"Yes."

"Well, you mark my word, that feller'd swear his chances of heaven away
to turn them mount'in men agin you."

"Most of them are good-hearted fellows" replied Westerfelt. "They
won't harm me."

Washburn sat down on his bed, pulled off his shoes, and dropped them on
the puncheon floor.

"But he's got the'r ear, an' you hain't, Mr. Westerfelt. He'd grab at
a chance like this an' you'd never be able to disprove anything.
Toot's got some unprincipled friends that 'ud go any length to help him
in rascality."

The next morning before the revenue men had left with their prisoners
and the confiscated whiskey for the town where the trial before an
inspector was to take place, a number of mountaineers had gathered in