he once lent it to me. It was a
great mistake of his to gallop over rough country with loose
girths--especially upon such an occasion as that. Fifty ounces of gold
was not worth it."

Forreste, a coward at heart, collapsed. "We could not help it We were
trying to unbuckle his valise from his saddle when he awoke, and----

"And--I understand. So please say no more of what followed. It does not
concern me, and you need not look so ghastly white."

Then he walked away to his tent, for he did not wish to be seen by
Gerrard--at that time.

But a few hours later the latter learnt quite accidentally from Vale
that his one-time friend was at Hansen's, and had been one of the
card-playing party of the previous night Vale was speaking of the great
yields from some of the claims on the field, and mentioned that "Aulain,
who had been in the Nigger Police," had a pretty rich one. Gerrard
was surprised to hear of his being at Hansen's, for he and the Frasers
thought he had gone to the new rush at Cape Grenville on the east coast.
Of her quarrel with him Kate had told Gerrard but little, but her father
had given him the story in detail, and it had angered him greatly.

"Would you care to go over to his claim, and have a yarn with him?" said
Vale; "it's only about a mile away. I think he wants to sell out."

"No, I don't want to see him. I know him very well, and he was once a
great friend of mine, but he is not now, and I don't think it would be
advisable for us to meet. He nurses an imaginary grievance against me."

Vale nodded. "He's a queer fellow, and I am sure he's not quite right
in the upper story. Sometimes he won't speak to a soul for a week at
a time; then he has a drinking bout, and goes off his head entirely.
I feel sorry for him, for it is a pity to see a gentleman come down
so low, and associate with spielers and card-sharpers. The men he was
playing with last night are a shady lot--a man called Forreste, and his
mates Cheyne and Capel----"

"Ha!" cried Gerrard, "so that gang is here? I know a good deal about
_them,_" and he told Vale of what had occurred on board the _Gambier_
when Fraser had thrown Capel across the deck.

"I thought they were a fishy crowd, and there are lots of men here who
believe they are gold-stealers, but so far they have been too clever and
have escaped detection."

"Well, I can tell you that Capel, otherwise Barney Green, is one of the
most notorious gold thieves in Australia, and se