, far from satisfied at such a brief
exercise of his pugilistic talents, stirred him with his foot.

"Here, no sleepy 'possum tricks, if _you_ please," he said, with what he
considered appropriate politeness demanded by the occasion. "There's two
more waitin' after me, and I ain't through yet. _I_ don't want to keep
you waiting. Get up and have yer smile out."

But Gleeson made no response, and Peters came over and looked at him.
Palmer Billy's bony fist had left an unmistakable mark on the bridge of
his nose, and the closed eyelids were already thickened and
discoloured.

"You've punished him for the three of us," Peters said.

"Punished him? Don't you believe it," Palmer Billy answered. "I've only
begun. He's going to learn what mining means before I've done with him,
and then you two can take him on, and after that the boys over the rise.
He's going to enjoy himself, I tell you, now we know who he is."

"It's no good hammering a chap like that; he wouldn't stand up to a
black-fellow," Tony, who had been watching the proceedings, observed.
"If there's gold in the creek, why----"

"That's just it," Palmer Billy interrupted. "If there's gold in the
creek, he'll get it out while we take charge of it. He's used to all pay
and no work. This journey he'll have all work and no pay. Oh, you're
waking up, are you?" he added, as Gleeson recovered his senses
sufficiently to make an ineffectual effort to rise. "Let _me_ give you a
hand," he went on, as he grabbed Gleeson by the back of his collar and
jerked him on to his feet, where he stood, swaying to and fro and
holding his head with both hands. "Now, maybe, you'll go on with this
little affair," Palmer Billy continued. "Not that I want to hurry yer.
Take your own time, only just say when you're ready to go on."

Gleeson, still dazed, looked round at the three standing in front of
him. His head was throbbing with the knock-down blow he had received,
and he had not yet had time to gather the exact meaning of his
sensations. The words Palmer Billy used suggested journeying, and
somewhere in the muddled confusion of his mind there was a decided
impulse to journey.

"I'm ready now," he said indistinctly, as he dropped his hands. "I'm
only waiting for you."

Palmer Billy, watchful, suspicious, and wroth, heard the words and saw
the movement. He cut both short by getting his blow in before the ruse
he believed Gleeson was trying to use could develop. The second smashing
b