nd notes--such as those with
which bush contractors pay their men.

Two mornings later the sharper suggested a stroll. Steelman went with
him, with a face carefully made up to hear the worst.

After walking a hundred yards in a silence which might have been
ominous--and was certainly pregnant--the sharper said:

"Well... I tried the water."

"Yes!" said Steelman in a nervous tone. "And how did you find it?"

"Just as warm as I thought. Warm for a big splash."

"How? Did you lose the ten quid?"

"Lose it! What did you take me for? I put ten to your ten as I told you
I would. I landed 50 Pounds----"

"Fifty pounds for twenty?"

"That's the tune of it--and not much of a tune, either. My God! If I'd
only had that thousand of mine by me, or even half of it, I'd have made
a pile!"

"Fifty pounds for twenty!" cried Steelman excitedly. "Why, that's grand!
And to think we chaps have been grafting like niggers all our lives! By
God, we'll stand in with you for all we've got!"

"There's my hand on it," as they reached the hotel.

"If you come to my room I'll give you the 25 Pounds now, if you like."

"Oh, that's all right," exclaimed Steelman impulsively; "you mustn't
think I don't----"

"That's all right. Don't you say any more about it. You'd best have the
stuff to-night to show your mate."

"Perhaps so; he's a suspicious fool, but I made a bargain with him about
our last cheque. He can hang on to the stuff, and I can't. If I'd been
on my own I'd have blued it a week ago. Tell you what I'll do--we'll
call our share (Smith's and mine) twenty quid. You take the odd fiver
for your trouble."

"That looks fair enough. We'll call it twenty guineas to you and your
mate. We'll want him, you know."

In his own and Smith's room Steelman thoughtfully counted twenty-one
sovereigns on the toilet-table cover, and left them there in a pile.

He stretched himself, scratched behind his ear, and blinked at the money
abstractedly. Then he asked, as if the thought just occurred to him: "By
the way, Smith, do you see those yellow boys?"

Smith saw. He had been sitting on the bed with a studiously vacant
expression. It was Smith's policy not to seem, except by request, to
take any interest in, or, in fact, to be aware of anything unusual that
Steelman might be doing--from patching his pants to reading poetry.

"There's twenty-one sovereigns there!" remarked Steelman casually.

"Yes?"

"Ten of 'em's yours."

"Thank yer, S