" PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING " 269 



at each end. Sam's mate had intended it for a girl 

 ■ down at Ballarat, and she eventually got it — an emblem 

 of what might have been. Dozens of fancy slugs were 

 brought to light, in addition to two hundred ounces 

 of fine gold against which no one could make good 

 claim. 



Another tin held six rings, two of decidedly suspicious 

 metal, the others genuine and with good stones. A 

 fine pearl was wrapped in a fragment of silk. A pale 

 green jade amulet, with three sets of Chinese toilet 

 contrivances — ear - cleaners, tongue - scrapers, back- 

 scratchers — in ivory, were in a box with two rolls of 

 gold-embroidered silk illustrated- with weirdly indecent 

 scenes. Three gold watches wrapped in silk hand- 

 kerchiefs were stuffed into a ginger-jar. The sordid 

 hut was a mine of wealth, and the buzzing town became 

 furious. It had accepted Tsing Hi as a character, but 

 not as a bad one. Being deceived, it swerved from 

 tolerance to righteous indignation and absolute wrath. 

 The quaking thief, not too comf<)rtable, for the blood- 

 wood slabs seemed too frail a partition against the 

 virtuous anger of the crowd, was condemned forthwith. 



All the identifiable gold and other property was 

 handed over to those who successfully established 

 claims, and Tsing Hi, limp and dejected, passed into 

 the custody of Tim Mullane for escort to Cooktown. 



Tim was rough and raw, teeming with good-nature 

 and blessed with a brogue as thick as the soles of the 

 massive boots made for him by his cousin Terence at 

 misty Ballinrobe. The once perky Tsing Hi slunk 

 alongside the far-striding Tim, and Tim looked down 

 at him and was half ashamed of such a "wee scrap of 

 a Chinkee" as his first prisoner. 



"Come away wid ye, me little fella — come away. 

 Doan give me trouble, and yell fin' me gintle wid ye. 



