Page:Frederick Faust--Free Range Lanning.djvu/250

246 the money they secured was the interest. And accordingly he seldom risked the band in action.

"Tempt Providence once too much and the best-laid plan in the world will break down," he said, "as long as the other side has the same caliber guns we have. Who is the winning gambler? Jeff Rankin, who plunges every time he sees a three of a kind, or Larry there, who plunges once in an evening for everything he has? He makes more in that plunge than Jeff Rankin makes in a month's play. It's the same with this business of mine, Lanning. I show my hand once in every six or eight months, but when I strike I strike hard and I strike for big stakes."

He added: "You boys play a game; I'm going to break in Lanning to our job."

Taking his horse, he and Andrew rode at a walk up the ravine. On the way the leader explained his system briefly and clearly. Told in short, he worked somewhat as follows: Instead of raiding blindly right and left, he only moved when he had planned every inch of ground for the advance and the blow and the retreat. To make sure of success and the size of his stakes he was willing to invest heavily.

"Big business men sink half a year's income in their advertising. I do the same."

It was not public advertising; it was money cunningly expended where it would do most good. Fifty per cent of the money the gang earned was laid away to make future returns surer. In twenty places Allister had his paid men who, working from behind the scenes, gained priceless information and sent word of it to the outlaw. Trusted officials in great companies were in communication with him. When large shipments of gold were to be made, for instance, he was often warned beforehand.