, but his attitude was enough to
make us pull up, and as we did so we saw him try to shove her aside. She
was plucky enough and banged the door in his face, but he got his foot
in the crack, so that it couldn't shut, and began to push it open.

"Dad slipped off his horse gently. He made a sign to us to keep quiet
and went across the yard, and we saw him shake the lash of his stockwhip
loose. You can just fancy how Norah and I were dancing with joy!

"Dad was just near the verandah when we saw the door give. Poor old
Brownie was getting the worst of it. We heard the fellow call out
something--a threat--and Dad's arm went up, and the stockwhip came down
like a flash across the man's shoulder He gave one yell! You never heard
such an amazed and terrified roar in your life!" and Jim chuckled with
joy at the recollection.

"He turned on Dad and jumped at him, but he got another one with the
whip that made him pause, and then Dad caught him and shook him like a
rat. Mr. Swaggie was limp enough when it was over.

"'I've a very good mind to give you in charge!' Dad said--he was simply
furious. It made a fellow feel pretty bad to see poor old Brownie's
white face in the doorway, and to think what a fright she had had.

"The swaggie turned a very ugly look on Dad.

"'You give me in charge, and I'll precious quick have you up for
assault!' he said.

"Dad laughed.

"'As for that, you can do exactly as you choose,' he said. 'I'll be
quite ready to answer for thrashing a cur like you. However, you're not
worth carting seventeen miles to Cunjee, so you can go--the quicker the
better."

"And he cleared, I suppose?" Wally asked.

"He just did--went like a redshank. But when he got outside the gate and
a bit away he stopped and turned round and let fly at Dad--such a volley
of threats and abuse you never heard. It finished up with something
about the grass; we didn't quite understand what; but we remembered it
later, and then it was clearer to us. However, he didn't stop to
explain, as Dad turned the dogs loose. They lost no time, and neither
did the swaggie. He left the place at about the rate of a mile a
minute!"

Jim paused.

"Thought I had a bite," he said, pulling up his line. "Bother it! The
bait's gone! Chuck me a worm, young Wally." He impaled the worm and
flung his line out again.

"Where was I? Oh, yes. Norah and I were a bit scared about the swaggie,
and wondered what he'd try to do; but Dad only laughed at us