this 'ere drama. Pass me over them
straps, my lad," he added, turning to Tony, and pointing to the
weather-worn thongs he had bound round his swag.

As soon as he had them, he placed one in a noose round Gleeson's neck,
and drew it tight enough to be uncomfortable, but not enough to check
breathing.

"You hold this, lad," he said to Tony, who took the loose end of the
strap and, just to see that it was all secure, jerked it slightly.

"I haven't done you harm," Gleeson began to whine; "I haven't done you
harm. I'll do anything----"

"Dry up," Palmer Billy snarled. "We'll tell you when to talk."

Taking up one of the picks, he stepped in front of Gleeson, and held the
pick so that the point of it rested on the crown of his head. Peters,
following a hint, took up another, and stood by the side, holding it
over his shoulder as though ready to strike.

"Now then, you scab of a mining shark," Palmer Billy said, in the full
force of his raucous voice, "you'll say what I bid you, or we'll sink a
shaft through your skull and see where your brains lie. D'ye hear?"

Gleeson, muddled, dazed, and terrified, mumbled out that he had never
done them any harm.

"We ain't talking about that, because there ain't no talk in it. We
ain't sharks, but you are, and we're just going to teach you something
of what work is like. First you'll tell us just what your game was and
who were in it. Then we'll tell you what we'll do."

"You're choking me," Gleeson whined. "I can't breathe, and you're
breaking my head. I never did----"

"What was your game?" Peters interrupted to ask.

"I told you. I never meant to harm you. It was a fair deal. The claim
was to be sold between ourselves, and then the big find was to be made
and the claim sold again, only to some one else, and then----well,
that's all. There's nothing wrong in that. It's done every day in
mining. It's the only thing that pays in mining. Grubbing for nuggets is
no good. Not one in ten thousand makes anything out of that; any fool
can make a pile out of the other, if he only does it properly. I know
the ropes. I'll put you all into a good thing later on, you see;
something with more money in it than you'll make in a lifetime at
grubbing after nuggets. You trust me. I'm square. I don't want to harm
you. We're all mates, and----"

"Who were standing in over this swindle with you?" Peters asked.

"It wasn't a swindle. It was a fair speculation--a good open deal, and
it would h