"I mean you, Mister. The boys has had ther' eye on ye fer sometime. We know yer huntin's all a blind, an' now Bill Davis he's come in. I aint right shor' myself er I'd a kep' mum an' he'pped 'em take ye."
Whitley turned pale. "Do you mean that the people here think I'm a revenue agent looking for moonshiners?"
"That's about hit, Mister, an' they'll be fer takin' ye out ter night shor'."
The fellow's meaning was too clear to be mistaken, and for some time
Whitley remained silent. He was thinking hard. At last he said: "Jake,
I'll tell you something. The boys are mistaken. I'm not here to get
anybody into trouble, but because I'm in a hole myself."
"As how?" asked Jake, moving nearer and speaking in a lower tone.
"I won't tell you how unless you'll help me; and if you will, I'll pay you more money than you can make in this business in a thousand years."
The moonshiner's eyes gleamed. "Bill Davis is sure after us an' that thar' means trouble every time," he said slowly. "Ye heard him say as how he'd see me agin, an' I never knowed him ter miss befo'." He looked at the bullet mark on the tree again. "Tell ye what, Mister Whitley, I'll chance her; but we ain't got no time ter talk now. We gotter git away from here, fer some er the boys 'll be along purty quick. We'll just mosey 'round fer a spell an' then go back ter th' corners. I'll send th' boys off on er hot chase en' fix Sim so's ye kin git erway t'-night, an' ye come ter my shack; hit's on th' river below that hill with the lone tree on top, jes' seven mile from th' corners. Ye can't miss hit. I'll be thar an' have things fixed so's we kin light out befo' th' boys git back."
They reached Simpson's in time for dinner and Jake held a long whispered conversation with that worthy, while Jim sat on the porch after the meal.
As Jake passed him on his way to the mule that stood hitched in front of the blacksmith shop as usual, he said, in the hearing of those near: "Hit's all right fer to-morrow, is hit, Mister Whitley? An' we'll go over tother side Sandy Ridge?"
The words "all right" were accompanied by a wink that Whitley understood.