In the Roaring Fifties

y and his pursuer had taken, listening breathlessly, and then they went to their blan

follow them

't particularly busy just now, but my hands

ant mu

like it to pl

think it wa

Long grudge,

. 'Convict,' he added, seeing a question in

ddressed. 'We're taking some traps and ware up to th

n about that man being

ater, breaking

cuff-marks on his wrist

y. W

p with Macdougal of Boobyalla th

the choker and

his face impressed me.

if he's own brother to

my affie h

nts wrought to a pitch of excitement by some grand windfall at their doors. Little figures bustled about, carrying burdens; pigmies swarmed along the lead. The holes, with their white and yellow tips, were clustered as close together as the cells in a great honeycomb, and into the shafts and out of them bobbed hurrying, eager creatures. The whirring of windlasses, the clatter of nail-keg buckets, the incessant calls, 'Look up below!' and the distinct ringing of hammer on anvil, blended into

with joy, shouting like maniacs. On all hands were the waggons and drays unloading by tents not yet fully erected. The men who were not busy at their claims or puddling, cradling or pan

our pegs in here, Jim

ws twitching; he longed for the strife, and found some difficulty in restraining himself from running with the preceding party pell-mell on to the creek. But he had nothing

ers; they were met with cold-blooded intolerance by a class of officials often bred to their business in the infamous convict system, and now incapable of putting off their tyrannous insolence in the faces of free men. Several foot police-Vandemonians from the convict settlements-were stationed in the tent to enforce the mandate of Commissioner McPhee, or any understrapper who might resent the

license with his thumb; 'they're important. I've hear

hey stand

's mud hereabout, an' for that time he's reckoned to have a right to be alive. At

doesn't happen to

y a pup he's dealt with according to law. If in his month's work he doesn't earn enough to buy g

out of place here. A

ted wombat, by the scruff, to be bully-damned from Geelong to breakfast by some lag-punching, lop-eared

ense, if it conf

ng his metaphors in his wrath. 'But you'll know all about it in time. If you're in the habit of using your hands, keep 'em tight in your pockets

ith his right in his pocket a miner was safe, and the charge did n

les off; and here Mike loitered about amongst the claims, chatting with the men on top, keeping his eyes wide open, and gathering information as he went. The majority of the miners were quite enthusiastic; they were doing well, a

n?' he asked, indica

uffers,' he added in explanation. Done was still unenlightened. 'Putting down shafts where there

an at the windlass was gloomy, almost despairing. He didn't believe he'd go

sight of her

the bucket at his feet, rubbed it between his

you?' he said. 'This is good enou

by the sight of three men running

y-built, cheerful-looking Geordie, promptly struck at Mike, and they fought. Done stood aside, nonplussed by the suddenness of all this, and for a minute a hard give-and-take battle raged on the claim. Jim discovered the Geordie's m

in, Mike,' said Jim. '

old fighter, but Done stopped him with a straight left, clo

ed. 'Would any other ge

aid the Geordie, without

It should be quite as good a spec as this

ent, and two minutes later, to Jim's great amusement, all concerned were indulging in affable conversation. The newcomers were friends of the party in the working mine, where the lead had been cut, a prospect from the headi

four feet by two feet, and commenced sinking. He dug down to the depth of his waist, and at sunset the mates returned to Forest Creek. That night the teamster arrived with their goods, an

m said Mike, when they ha

ll or two,'

to turn a fist to the best advantage, too, don't you? That Geordie's an old sailor who's been through the

ul. I don't seem to have bee

The rushes ain't peopled with penny saints. You'

the feats of arms he had mastered with the idea of impressing his en

to work in the shaft again after dinner, Done taking his first lesson in sinking. Within two hours they came upon the wash dirt, the sinking at Diamond Gully be

here to spring on you. What d'yer think o' that?' He removed his hat, a

ed Jim. 'You'v

you'll get her just ez good. My mate's got a few ounces o' finer stu

Mike, grinning. 'We did

s there in tha

ces. Eight hundred po

vel in the dish, and carried it away to the creek. He returned in ten minutes with a little wate

cer?'

a good enough prospect. L

shovel in so narrow a space. Burton continued the work till sundown, and then washed a prospect that made h

on top! Ca

pper of the cradle, he picked out the gold too coarse to pass through the holes, and the gleaming yellow metal fired him with a passion that had in it all the frenzy the winning gambler feels, with an added sense of triumph and success. When Mike lifted the slides out and sluiced water over them, showing the gold lying thick and deep, he felt a miser's rapture, and yet had no great desire for wea

r any length of time. If it was not carried to the storekeepers at Forest Creek, there were gold-buyers-buying for the Melbourne banks, as a rule-who called regularly, eager to exchange bank-notes for the virgin gold. On the afternoon of their third working day, Jim

thing here?' he said, seati

not s

, toyed with it absently as he made inquiries about the lead and the yields on the field. All eyes were attracted by the peculiar m

ty clever tric

of the beautiful beard twirled his re

tranger caught it smartly,

putation as a safe man, and the horse he rode was one of the finest on the field. On one side of the front o

ll to-day, Burt

,' replied Mike, deeply interes

horse up closer and w

lifornian, Whi

'Let me have anothe

ed the three in the air, discharging ea

performance was gr

'Throw me another, and I'll show what I call a damn good trick.' He

w drew his revolver fro

nd brought him heavily to the ground over his horse's rump. 'Lie there, or, by God, I'll scatter your brains on the grass!' said the juggler. 'The first man that moves will peg out a claim in hell to-night,' he continued, leading the horse away, and walking backwards himself, with the revolver pointed. No man doubted his word. Dick crouched on the ground, st

feet-' tricked by the great Blue Bunyip! Tricked

re whiskers,' said a tall, thin Californian, wh

he encounter with Long A

o, do you thi

he Californian. 'Them

it, why didn't y

just pawsible I ain't pushin' myse

and their toleration of notorious evildoers was a pronounced feature of their easy-going character, encou

llop for the tro

down!' ejaculated

ounces agin all the feathers off a wart-hog

the weight

owledge afore you die out, but up to now you don't know much about Solo. He kin ride like the devil, an' fight lik

' asked a digger, resen

that good an imitation he mig

and greeted them with cries of contempt, jeering them from every hole along the lead. 'Jo!' was the favourite epithet hurled at the troopers and all representatives of constituted aut

is Solo,' said Jim to

hanges his disguises pretty smartly, 'r else that