red necessary to use when
talking with a Chinese, no matter whether the latter understands English
or not.

The true meaning of Mr. Brown's interrogation was, whether Yam's tax
money was ready or not.

"No hab," returned the Chinaman, without looking up.

"How, no hab?--putty mi more day. No can see?" demanded Mr. Brown.

"No hab," repeated the old fellow, continuing his work industriously.

"Why no hab?" the inspector asked.

"All go--buy ricey--buy torayun tan pon, and no hab."

"Then workey on rodey ten (holding up his fingers) day. Chinaman no good
for shovel--work more days Englishman. Come." "No can come now. Pay
money by by," the Chinaman said, thinking that his promise to pay before
long would suffice.

"Pay money now--no pay money now, go!" repeated the inspector, who
managed to make himself understood.

"No pay," the old fellow said, and as the sounds escaped his lips, the
sergeant dismounted from his horse and approached him.

"Come," that worthy said, and he laid his huge hand upon the Celestial,
in close proximity to his pigtail.

"No go," repeated Yam.

"Start your stumps," cried the policeman; and he lifted the Chinaman
from the ground by his pigtail, and almost held him at arm's length.

"Me pay! me pay!" he roared, to the great delight of the police, and a
few of Yam's countrymen who were standing near.

The sergeant released the old fellow, and he rapidly uttered a number of
expressions in his native tongue, that I will swear were not
complimentary to the English character.

After he had thus vented his anger, he drew from the folds of his inside
trousers a little bag of dust, which, upon being weighed, was found to
contain just the amount, to a scale, that was required for the payment
of his tax, and after checking his name, we rode on.

In this manner the tax was collected from the miners of Ballarat.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

Murden and Steel Spring arrive from Melbourne.

We were sitting in our store eating supper one afternoon, about a week
after our tax-collecting tour, and were wondering why Smith did not make
his appearance, as he certainly had been gone long enough, and were
debating the propriety of writing or visiting Melbourne for the purpose
of finding him, when a person, dressed quite respectably, but wearing a
slouched hat over his eyes, that entirely concealed his face, entered
the store and looked around as though anxious to purchase goods, but was
disappointed