"Vell, you've found out," was the reply of the poor devil, as he rubbed his leg.
"After the transaction with the miner, I heard that a man could make a good living, if he was any ways smart, at Ballarat, so I came here and done pretty well, until an unfortunate occurrence took place, which has been the means of making me fight shy for a few weeks past."
"You see he used a 'sticker' rather freely," cried Steel Spring, in a careless way, as though stabbing was a meritorious act, which Jackson's modesty was too great for him to disclose.
"I thought I asked you to say nothing of the matter!" exclaimed Jackson, with a pallid cheek, and a frightened expression.
"Veil, so you did, but vat of it? Ain't ve all friends; and ain't it right that ve should know how much pluck a man has got?"
"If the gentleman has done any thing that is gallus, let's hear it," grumbled Fred.
"Ah, that's the talk; out with it at once," we all exclaimed, although in so low a tone that our neighbors did not hear us.
"Well, since the subject is broached, I don't mind giving you an account of the most dangerous expedition that I ever undertook; but mum is the word, for if that d——d Brown should get hold of me, I should have to swing for it."
"O, mum it is," we all repeated; and none were louder than the inspector in giving the promise.
"Well, the fact of it is," Jackson continued, "soon after I got here, and began handling the 'pasteboards,' I made the acquaintance of a young fellow who was at work mining with an uncle. I managed to clean him pretty well out; and then he used to steal pretty smart sums from his relative, until at last the old man missed his dust, and remonstrated against such injustice.