“Further accounts say that the Pacific manager also watches the weather and when it snows sends white mules along the trails, the animals blending with the whiteness of the landscape. When the ground is bare—bay animals carry the liquor.
“An old time packer who knows how to use the ‘diamond hitch’ in strapping pouchlike containers onto the animals’ backs it is claimed is employed to load the mules.
“Heavily armed guards accompany the liquor trains to prevent hijackers from stealing the packs. Whisky and wines are being transported over the winding trails, and upon arrival at the liquor depot all goods smuggled over the border are loaded into automobiles for transportation into many cities throughout the Northwest.”
“Well, what do you think of that for a corking dodge?” asked Jack when he saw that his companion had gone through the entire clipping.
Perk shrugged his shoulders quaintly in a way that stood for a good many words, but he only said:
“Gosh amighty! but don’t it beat all how some men’ll go to such heaps o’ trouble jest to make a livin’, taking all sorts o’ chances to get plugged with hot lead or grabbed up and sent to the pen for a spell?”
“It’s the day for reckless engineering,” declared Jack soberly enough, “with a gold mine always just ahead of the risky scheme. I’ve heard of some queer games being tried out in connection with the smuggling racket but up to now never had a whisper of anything like the mule pack-train steer.”
“Huh! and do you reckon there’s any truth in what this paper says or did it jest boil up in the brain o’ one o’ them reporters, eh Jack ol’ hoss?”
“That’s what’s bothering Mr. Maxwell, it happens,” returned the other composedly. “You see, he’s responsible to Uncle Sam for keeping things in decent order up here in Oregon and Washington and if such rackets as this can be put through right under his nose, it’s bound to get him in bad with the Government. That accounts for him asking me to send him word if we chanced to learn anything worth while about these so-called mule pack-trains, since it would be of some assistance in helping him stamp out the trick.”
“Course then partner,” went on the eager Perk, “you told the gent we’d be on’y too glad to lend a helpin’ hand ’cause to be sure he a’ready knows we’re connected with the Secret Service an’ runnin’ in the same class as he does?”