od lot on my mind. Starting
away seems always a troublesome, bothering sort of thing, and if a man's
at all inclined to be cranky it'll come out then.

Next day we were going to start on a long voyage, in a manner of
speaking, and whether we should have a fair wind or the vessel of our
fortune would be wrecked and we go down with it no one could say. This
is how it happened. One of the horses was bad to catch, and took a
little trouble in the yard. Most times Warrigal was quiet enough with
'em, but when he got regular into a rage he'd skin a horse alive, I
really believe. Anyhow, he began to hammer the colt with a roping-pole,
and as the yard was that high that no beast could jump it he had him at
his mercy. I wouldn't have minded a lick or two, but he went on and on,
nearly knocking the poor brute down every time, till I could stand it no
longer, and told him to drop it.

He gave me some saucy answer, until at last I told him I'd make him. He
dared me, and I rushed at him. I believe he'd have killed me that minute
if he'd had the chance, and he made a deuced good offer at it.

He stuck to his roping-stick--a good, heavy-ended gum sapling, six or
seven feet long--and as I came at him he struck at my head with such
vengeance that, if it had caught me fair, I should never have kicked.
I made a spring to one side, and it hit me a crack on the shoulder that
wasn't a good thing in itself. I was in at him before he could raise his
hands, and let him have it right and left.

Down he went and the stick atop of him. He was up again like a wild
cat, and at me hammer and tongs--but he hadn't the weight, though he was
quick and smart with his hands. I drew off and knocked him clean off his
pins. Then he saw it wasn't good enough, and gave it best.

'Never mind, Dick Marston,' says he, as he walked off; and he fixed his
eyes on me that savage and deadly-looking, with the blood running down
his face, that I couldn't help shivering a bit, 'you'll pay for this. I
owe it you and Jim, one a piece.'

'Confound you,' I said, 'it's all your own fault. Why couldn't you stop
ill-using the horse? You don't like being hit yourself. How do you think
he likes it?'

'What business that of yours?' he said. 'You mind your work and I'll
mind mine. This is the worst day's work you've done this year, and so I
tell you.'

He went away to his gunyah then, and except doing one or two things for
Starlight would not lift his hand for any one that d