he bosses don't know
what a job they tackled when they started in to down unionism. They fancy
that if they can only smash our fellows they'll have unionism smashed all
over Australia. The fun will only just have started then."

"What makes you so sure the men will stick, Ned?" enquired Nellie.

"Because they all know what the squatter was before the union and what
he'll be the minute he gets another chance. The squatters will keep the
unions going right enough. Besides everybody's on for a vote now in the
bush and, of course, the Government is going to keep it from them as long
as possible. Without unionism they'll never get votes and they know it."

They had reached the path by Wooloomooloo Bay. Ned took off his hat and
walked bareheaded. "This is lovely!" he remarked, refreshed.

"What a fool Griffith is!" cried Nellie, suddenly.

"He's not as cunning as he ought to be," assented Ned. "But why?"

"Do you know what I'd do if I were him?" answered Nellie. "I'd send all
the military and all the police home and go up into the bush by myself
and have a chat with the committee and the men at the camps and find out
just how they looked at the thing and ask them to assist in keeping order
and I'd see that they got justice if Parliament had to be called together
specially to do it."

"He's not smart enough to do that," answered Ned. "Besides, the squatters
and the capitalistic set are the Parliament and wouldn't let him. I
suppose he believes every lie they stuff him with and never gives a
minute's thought to our having a side."

"He didn't use to be a bad man, once," persisted Nellie.

"I suppose he's not a bad man now," cried Ned, boiling over. "He's not on
the make like most of them and he fancies he's very patriotic, I imagine,
but what does he know of us or of the squatter? He sees us at our worst
and the squatter at his best and we've got different ways of talking and
when we get drunk on poisoned rum that the Government lets be sold we
aren't as gentlemanly as those who get drunk on Hennessy and champagne.
We don't curse in the same gentlemanly way and we splash out what we
think and don't wear two faces like his set. And so he thinks we're
ruffians and outlaws and he can't feel why the bushmen care for the
unions. The squatter has taken up all the land and the squatter law has
tied up what hasn't been taken and most of us are a lot of outcasts,
without homes or wives or children or anything that a man should h