IN PROHIBITION DAYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 90

IN PROHIBITION DAYS.

By W. Lemfriebe Couper,

The North-west Mounted Police are a pretty smart lot. They are not to be bought, neither are they, as a general rule, to be sold. But when the great prohibition experiment was being tried throughout the territories — when some men were mad for liquor, and the natural cuesedness of human nature made others want it because they couldn't get ,it, — then ihe N.-W.M.E. sometimes got bndly left. There were three men quartered in the little town of Hatsqui — two constables and a corporal. The latter was a rather remarkable man, with a veritable "flaire" for illicit liquor.

It w^s this talent that brougnt him into collision with Stortford, proprietor of the Royal Hotel. Most constables would have permitted a case of canned fruit to pass without examination; Seovil stuck his knife into one of the tins, and the contents proved to be whisky. There were six of those eases, each containing a dozen tins: they disappeared into the barracks, amd what was their ultimate fate no man, saving only one corporal and two con- ■ stables, can say. i

In the legal proceedings which ensued S'tortford 1 , to whom the consignment of canned fruit was addressed, escaped with a caution, thanks to his lawyer. Notwithstanding, he was very wroth, for in those days whisky was an expensive luxury, and the amount which had been seized, judiciously "let down." with water, coaloil, and tobacco -juice, would have meant a good many dollars in his pocket. So he vowed that by hook or by crook he j would get even with Seovil, and a little bit over. And this is the way he did it.

An important part of the duty of the police was to be present at the arrival of every train, in order to see that no liquor was smuggled in. The railway station consisted of waiting room, ticket and telegraph office, 1 and freight shed, with one long wooden platform raised to a height of about five feet. A man could easily get under this ; indeed, it was a favourite lurking place for tramps intending to "steal a ride" on the train.

One afternoon as Seovil was pacing slowly up and down the platform waiting for the train from the east, he noticed Stortford walking nervously to and fro in the vicinity of the telegraph office. He pointed) him out to the constable who accompanied him.

"Wonder what's "the matter with him.He looks kind of worried."

"Perhaps he's expecting a wire," replied! the other indifferently.

But apparently Stortford 1 not wait- 1 ing for a wire, for a few minutes before the train was due he left the station, nodding ta the two policemen as he passed, and walked quickly in the direction of the

Soovil gazed after him reflectively. "By Jove! £- believe the old beggar Is trying to -run liquor again, and hasn't got the grit to stop and see it through!" he ejaculated. "I shouldn't "lie a bit surprised," said his companion ; "I know 1 he intends to get even with you over the last business.''

"Ah! he does, does he? I wonder what his gam© is this time." He stared round him, seeking inspiration, but all he saw was a man loading ] up a, waggon ait the freight shed. The waggon was drawn in close to the platform, and its owner appeared to be in no hurry, frequently stopping in his work to gaze down the Tine in the direction from which the-traan^was expected. Far awayover the prairie a thin column of smoke was visible, rapidly approaching : then came the shriek of a whistle, the clang, of a deep-toned bell, the grinding of brake*, and the train was disgorging passengers and goods at Hafsqui Station. Leaving the constable to see that nobody interfered with the express packets before they had been examined, Seovil went through the train, making careful search for concealed liquor. Unsuccessful in this, he returned to his subordinate, whom he found in a state of great excitement. " See here, corporal," cried the latter j' " here's a 40-gallon keg, labelled vinegar, and addressed to Stortford, and it reeks of \vhisky like a still." "Great Scot! eo. i£ does^'- exclaimed

Seovil. " The old man must be crazy if he thinks he can fool us with a trick like that. Scoot up to the barracks, hitch up tbe team, and come back here. We'll tote this vinegar along, and analyse it. Get a hustle on."

Having seen the constable depart on his errand, Seovil up-ended the keg and 6at down on it. This was his custom when luck east a prize in his way. The loafers, who always assemble when a train comes in, formed a group round him, and longingly inhaled the whisky-laden air.

" All that lueh," said one sadly — " and to think of it being wastedj I suppose yoiu'll bust the keg — won't you, corporal? *'

"Whisky? Who says it's whisky?" replied Seovil. " Can't you see that it's addressed to Mr Stortford? You don't suppose he'd have whisky sent to him, do you? Why, it's a new kind of vinegar." He gave a sarcastic laugh, and continued in a different tone. "Of course, if it should happen to be whisky we'll smash the keg in front of the barracks. Ground's terrible dry iust now. wants moistening badly," and again he laughed.

As soon as the policeman had seated himself "on the k«g two of the crowd separated themselves from the others, and went over to «alk to the man who was loading up from the freight-shed. Glancing round them once or twice to see if they had attracted attention, they both slipped under the platform. There was father a curious assortment of articles lying there, concealed under a pile of old lumber : a brace and bit, half * dozen small' 1 kegs, and a large funnel. "That's the place," said one in a whisper ' The fifth board from the edge, and just ihis side of the jojst." The other placed the bit on the spot indicated and began to bore. Through ihe soft pine board the sharp steel cut xt way as if through cheese. Very cautiously he pushed it an inch up. Toy ! it touched the bottom of the keg. The seasoned oak offered more resistance, but even that soon yielded. As the bit was •withdrawn a thin stream of whisky followed, rapidly increasing. One of the small kegs with a funnel in the bunghole was raised to catch the flowt As soon as its weight told them it was nearly full one man substituted an empty one, while the other, after ramming home the bung, left his shelter, and deposited the full one beneath the tarpaulin cover of the waggon. The owner of this, who had at last finished his job, was tranquilly smoking a pipe, and making signals with hi& leg when he considered it aafe to bring out another. As soon as the lot were in, the two men made their way to the end of the platform, keeping underneath it. There they separated, one going towards the town, while the other strolled in the direction of' the little group collected round the corporal. When still at some distance he called to the teamster:

" Well, Bill, we'd better be iiaking a start ; are you fixed up yet?"

" Have been this half-hour,'' growled Bill. " What in blazes has been keeping

you, anyway

"I haven't been, having a drink, you can bet your life on that. The corporal here has made things 60 interesting that you can't get a wet in the whole blooming town."

Seovil laughed cheerfully as the speaker climbed into the waggon. A crack of the whip and they were off. '

A couple of hundred yards from the station the police team passed them going at a smart trot. ~~

"Say, Fred, it'll be a near thing," said the driver. "~ "Can't you push 'em a bit, Bill? lJ The long thong of the snake whip cracked in reply, and the game little bronchos sprang into their collar*. A sharp turn of the road placed them out of sight of the station, and as again the lash sang- through the- air the trot became a gallop. A half-mile of level, a sharp rise, and they were on the crest of a steep hill. In front of them the road dipped abruptly, and went down, down, down, winding its way to the valley below* The .teamster turned to his companion, a question in his face. ".Let her rip," was. tlie. answer.

Down they went, the pace ever increasing; once the near front wheel hit a atone, and the whole waggon seemed to leajp in the air ; once' as they spun round a curve on fctfo wheels, it seemed as if nothing could prevenl an upset ; but somehow •of other they reached Jhe bottom intact

With n sigh of relief Bill slackened 1 the reins, and glanced over his shoulder ; there was nobody in sight. "I guess we'll do it,' 1 he said. "It will be nip and tuck," replied the other. "We had a precious slim start." •'That's hard to say. _ They'd likely w^aste a few minutes hunting roundrto see how the thing was done. Then, they'd have to get up to the barracks for their horses. Anyhow, ride or drive, they can't travel much faster than we have. See that bluff?"

"The one just in 'front of us?" "That's it! That's whe<r© Stortford's man is to meet us. He'll take the stuff, and get it back to town at night. We're going to drive ahead till the bobbies catch us up." "Think Seovil will arrest us?" "No, not if he can't get the liquor- Se won't want the yarn all over 'the country, though I guess Stortford will see that it travels. Here we are, and here's the team." No time was lost in making the transfer, and soon bath vehicles were on their way again % Stortford's, with the whisky, vanishing into the bluffs, while the other held straight on over the plain, Us occupants looking backwards from time to time. Before long their vigilance was rewarded, for behind them a quickly-moving redcoat showed out conspicuous against the dull brown of the prairie, then another and .■another. "ft seeinfj were quite .jap^ort&ns

criminals," said Bill ; "they've turned ouf the whole force to catch us. They appear » to be in a hurry, too. Hark !" Through the cleax, still air came ih«| faint sound of a shout.

"If theywan't me, they've" got to coma foa 1 me," he continued; "I can't hear "anything for the rattling of the waggon. Get up, bronchos."

Half a mile farther on Seovil caught, them up. ' Flinging himself from hia dripping horse, he tore off the tarpaulin cover. The smell of whisky hung strong over everything, but one cannot seize a» smell. For a moment he hesitated ; ha would dearly have liked to arrest them* and doubtless there was sufficient cvi* dence to secure a conviction, but he felti that the joke was too much against him. So, without a word, he remounted 1 and rode homewards. Stortford had + aken his revenge.