"Am I to try again, sir?" he asked.
There was a burst of approving laughter from the miners, and the trooper sprang down from the branch and moved towards his comrades when Esmond made a sign, while a man who had been speaking apart with the latter suddenly stepped forward.
"It's the major," said one of the miners. "Give him a show. Come right along, sir. Nobody going to hurt you!"
Coulthurst made a little gesture with a lifted hand, and his remarks were brief.
"You'll gain nothing by making fools of yourselves, my men," he said. "The law is a good deal too strong for you. Now, try to tell me sensibly what is worrying you, and if it comes within my business I'll see what I can do."
Sewell stood up upon the log, and took off his big, shapeless hat. There was silence for a moment while the major looked at him.
"Mr. Sewell," he said gravely, "I'm sorry to see you here."
"I'm a little sorry myself, sir," said Sewell. "Still, that's not quite the point, and if you will listen for a minute or two I will try to make our views clear. They are really not unreasonable. In the first place we want Tomlinson tried here by his peers, which, although a little unusual, could, I think, be done. If Captain Esmond can prove him guilty, we will give him up, and he can get a regular court to confirm the verdict. Then we ask immunity for the men who held up the outpost, and one or two trifling modifications of the mining regulations which are probably within the discretion afforded you by your commission."
"It seems to me," said Coulthurst drily, "that you are asking a good deal. More, in fact, than you are likely to get. You insist on all that?"
"We feel compelled to do so, sir."