ther, until the arrival of another party
added to the confusion.

Gathering the nature of the babel, the new-comers quietly passed up and
down the creek, pegging out their claims on either side of those already
occupied before they turned their attention to the disputes, yelling out
their views and opinions until the noise of the shouting reached other
approaching parties and hastened their advance.

"It seems to me it's no use fooling round like this," Peters exclaimed,
when for a moment there was silence between Gleeson and Walker. "If he
wants the claim, let him have it, and we'll shove along up the creek.
Come on, Tony, my lad; there's no points in this game."

He slung his swag over his shoulder, and Tony did the same. Their action
was greeted with derisive cheers from the men scattered along the banks
of the creek. Palmer Billy, beaten in the matter of words, came to meet
them as they started up the rise beyond the creek.

"There's no luck where there ain't no 'armony," he said, with aggressive
earnestness in his voice. "If me and my accordion gets the shove-along,
we takes it; and as for them hungry gully-scrapers--darned dirty
I-talyans, _I_ call them--why, let 'em rake the creek by theirselves;
there's water in it, and some of that won't hurt some of them, either
outside or in. Misters, if you likes 'armony, I'm with you; if you
don't----"

Gleeson, seeing the other two set out up the rise, hurried after them,
his departure also being greeted with a burst of derisive cheers. He
came up with them in time to interrupt Palmer Billy's sentence.
Recognizing the leader of the recent attack on himself, Gleeson looked
at him angrily.

"Darned dirty I-talyans, _I_ call 'em," Palmer Billy said, as his eyes
met those of Gleeson. "It's no white man's field, no place for us to
stay--only fit for I-talyans and such-like coloured labour."

Gleeson turned away to Peters.

"Which route are you taking?" he asked.

"Over the rise," Peters answered.

"It's good enough," Gleeson replied.

"Oh, good enough? You bet, mister; this is a miner or I'm a
rouse-about," Palmer Billy put in, with a nod towards Peters. "A white
man, mister, if I make no error, and, as such, a mate of mine."

"See here," Gleeson exclaimed angrily, facing him.

"That's all right, mister," Palmer Billy interrupted quickly. "I
understand how it was. You never meant to lose me my claim, seeing
you're a white man and me another, and these here, too.