have every spare man in the three colonies
at your heels. This is a game of brag, though the stakes are high. I'll
play a card. Listen. You shall have a hundred fivers--500 Pounds in
notes--by to-morrow at four o'clock, if you'll let Mrs. Knightley and
the doctor ride to Bathurst for the money. What do you say?'

'D--n you and your money too,' growled Moran. 'We'll have your blood,
and nothing else. D'ye hear that? You're a dead man now; if you're not
buried by this time to-morrow, it won't be because you're not as ready
for it as Patsey is.'

I saw Mrs. Knightley turn round and clasp her hands; her face grew as
white as death, but she said nothing, only looked over at Starlight, and
her eyes grew bigger and bigger, while her mouth trembled just the least
bit.

'You're off your head, Moran,' says Mr. Knightley, pulling out a cigar
and lighting it. 'But I suppose you're the chief man, and all the rest
must do as you tell them.'

'Suppose we talk it over,' says Starlight, very quiet, but I knew by
the first word that he spoke something was coming. 'Daly dropped, and
it can't be helped. Accidents will happen. If you play at bowls you must
take rubbers. It has been a fair fight; no one can say otherwise. Let
us put it to the vote. I propose that Mr. Knightley's offer be accepted.
Not that I intend to take a shilling of the money.'

'Nor me either,' says I. 'So you three chaps will have it to share
between you. I don't see that we can do better. A fight's a fight, and
if Patsey got his gruel it might have happened to Mr. Knightley himself.
As for shooting in cold blood, I'm not on, and so I tell you.'

'I suppose you think you and Starlight's going to boss the lot of us,
because you've been doing it fine at the Turon races along with a lot of
blasted swells as 'ud scrag us if they had the chance, and we're to take
so much a head for our dashed lives, because we're only working chaps.
Not if Dan Moran knows it. What we want is satisfaction--blood for
blood--and we're a-goin' to have it, eh, mates?'

Wall and Hulbert hadn't said anything before this. They were not bad
chaps underneath, but Moran was such a devil when he was raised
that they didn't like to cross him. Besides, they had a down on Mr.
Knightley, and wanted to sheet it home to him somehow. They had got to
the brandy too, and it didn't make matters any better, you take my word
for it.

Starlight didn't speak for a minute or two. I couldn't think what he wa