Settling Day

ning Dr Tom's black boy, aged about forty, and looking ten year

he doctor thought as he examined the 'joins'

ludicrous pride, evidently under the impressio

clambered into the buggy. His weight caused it to heave over in an alarming manner, and

noon when he arrived at Barker's Creek, an

ttered, 'and what be

ops, towered round the place like huge scaffold poles. Their appearance at night was weird, as they were of a slaty white colour, and resembled huge, gaunt spectres. The shant

cries of the black gins, when Dalton's men were amongst

mpies were made of the branches of trees suspended, tent-l

ng with the naked little black children, who ha

t was before this house that Dr Tom pulled up his horses, and, getting out of the buggy, went up the steps on to the verandah. The hous

Abe Dalton?'

in,' said a

ton lying on a camp bed, groanin

exposure to all winds and weather made the skin as brown as parchment. His hair was lon

summoned to Barker's Creek under false pretences. It was not

a lie,' he

's a

to me, said a woman

my men hounds,

er names. Perhaps curs wou

n winced at th

t come if I sent for you to attend me. Now you are here, it is not

Tom. 'I would prefer to kill rather than cure

groaned Abe Dalton. '

not be an easy death. You will not fall asleep and pass out of the world peacefully. Oh, dear, no. You will struggle and fight and gasp for breath, and eventually choke

m the tormented man, and D

a trifle uneasy. He's not as bad as all that, but it wi

You'll be such a horrible sight that no one will come near you, not even a black gin. And you have a real good, thirsty fever on you, and you'll not be able to get a drop of water. I'll tell you what will happen before the

ad, and after lingering there a few moments, started to race down his face like raindrops on a window-p

die. I daren't die. Come back and I'll do anything for you, giv

m cam

eared,' and the wretched man shudde

and stopped. A though

m Dennis's case,' he said

vain, He will not hear you; you have cursed Him all your life, a

doctor, you'll he

u on one condition

tion you like. I do

ny of your gang to injure Jim Den

with rage. He hated Dennis

tate,' sa

swear it. None of my gang s

nything that is h

ll come to him or his pr

ou?' asked Dr Tom. 'An oath

oath, when I might die in a co

, he might, for once in a way, keep his oath; at anyrate h

, mind, if you break your word, I'll never leave you until I have put a halter r

ited until he was asleep, then he we

or he was the cleverest of them all, and if he went they knew there would be trouble amongst themselves befo

ek to tell Dr Tom a woman and child

Will he pu

am doctoring Abe Dalton on one condition, a condition he has sworn to fulfil. He has promised that

ing for Jim Dennis, for he was more than a matc

Dr Tom. 'Remember Abe Dalton'

eh, mates?' said the man

s assente

Dennis through you, I'll not rest until I see you all h

Not many men would care to come alone to

chap, doctor,' sa

luck to face a lot of begga

can't have much o

they were put on your track now, they would be only too glad of the job. It's S

Ask him how much Abe Dalton has put into his pocket.

icked up

that might come in handy and do his frie

he?' said Dr Tom. 'A nice scandal that i

,' came from two

of beauties you are to give evidence. No s

ed powerful language, but

d to Abe Dalton, whom

Creek all night, and the n

that arrant scoundrel could not help feeling grateful for the att